The Isle of Elfrael
by shelle-ma-belle
Summary: Merlin has been told by so many people that save for his father and Kilgarrah all of the Dragons and Dragonlords perished during the Great Purge. But what if everyone was wrong? What if they had not perished but simply disappeared? What will happen when they finally choose to make contact with Merlin, one of their own? Set between S4 & S5. Rated T to be safe. I don't own Merlin.
1. Chapter 1

The day had started out for Merlin as normally as any other. Things had been rather quiet for Camelot in terms of magical attacks and trouble from Morgana. So it was with a spring in his step that he traversed the corridors (on time for once) to the King's chambers.

Striding in without knocking he went straight for the curtains and yanking them apart, cried out in a loud chipper voice "Let's have you lazy daisy!"

There was a squeal followed by Merlin's very contrite "Sorry Gwen!"

"That's quite all right Merlin, you merely startled me is all." She gasped as her breathing began to return to normal.

Arthur was not quite so forgiving. "You IDIOT!" he cried launching himself into a sitting position, "Would it kill you to knock? What sort of time do you call this anyway?"

"I call this time 'on time' and I've never knocked before so why should I start now? Your breakfast is on the table and you have a round table meeting due to start in a half hour. Don't forget. Would you like me to get you dressed now or after breakfast? Or will Gwen be taking care of that this morning?"

As Merlin paused his high speed babbling to draw a breath Gwen couldn't help but giggle. Arthur just continued to stare stonily in his direction. Eventually he let out a groan and flopped back onto the pillows. Oh well Merlin thought, at least one of them appreciates my efforts.

"You go on ahead Merlin." Gwen said taking pity on him, "I can manage Arthur this morning."

"All right Gwen." Merlin replied grinning, "I'll see you at the round table meeting, just send word if he's too much of a prat and I'll come and sort him out." He ducked a flying goblet on his way out with a final "See you!" staying just long enough to hear Gwen cry an indignant "Arthur!" before letting the doors swing shut behind him.

"What?"

"Why on earth do you constantly feel the need to throw things at him? He's only doing his job!"

"Have you heard the way he speaks to me? I'm his KING!"

Merlin stood laughing silently outside the door, yes he was right to hang back and listen to this. As far as morning entertainment went it didn't get much better.

Gwaine chose that moment to sidle past, somewhat hung-over. "Merlin! What's so funny?"

"Arthur" Merlin replied in a smug tone that implied this response ought to explain everything.

Gwaine stared at him in confusion. Merlin sighed. The amount of time Gwaine spent in the tavern made it impossible to tell if he, in reality, was or wasn't a morning person.

"Gwen's giving him a chewing out" he explained "Arthur saw fit to start throwing things at me because he didn't appreciate my methods of waking him up. Gwen begged to differ, hence the chewing out." He smiled his trademark lopsided grin.

Gwaine returned it with one of his own. "Shall we make for the council chambers together my friend? Round table meetings truly are a horrid way to start the morning! Fortunately I've brought something to keep me occupied…" His words trailed off as he held up a water skin with a sheepish expression.

"That's full of mead, isn't it?" Merlin accused.

"Best cure for a hangover! Not that _you'd_ ever need to know." Gwaine eyed him with a calculating look.

Merlin sighed. It would seem that Gwaine was yet to give up on his lifelong dream of getting Merlin drunk in a tavern. He shuddered at the thought of what could potentially happen were he ever to get drunk. Of what could happen if he were to lose all control over his magic as would undoubtedly be the case in that situation. "It's never going to happen, Gwaine" he eventually responded, "so you may as well stop dreaming about it."

"You. Are. No. Fun."

It was at that moment that they arrived at the doors to the council chambers. Gwaine pushed them open with a little effort, revealing in the process that they were the first two to arrive. Plopping down into his usual seat, he opened his water skin of mead and took a large swig before replacing the cap.

Merlin went to lean on the back of Arthur's chair while he waited for the rest of the round table members to arrive. Being a servant he was not permitted to sit. He tried not to dwell on how unfair that was. Leon and Percival were the next to arrive, discussing the merits of various types of crossbows as they entered. Gwaine promptly joined in the conversation and Merlin left them to it, he had other things on his mind.

His thoughts drifted to Aithusa. Where was she? What was she doing? Was Kilgarrah with her? He had not seen either Dragon in almost two months and he missed them terribly. Just as he was trying to decide whether or not he could risk sneaking out tonight to see them, Gaius entered the council chambers deep in conversation with Geoffrey of Monmouth about some topic that was just too boring to acknowledge. Elyan followed shortly after and immediately joined in the Knights' animated conversation which had moved on from crossbows to an upcoming tournament. The excitement was even higher than usual as Arthur now being King (not to mention a King without an heir) was unable to compete. This cleared the way for the crowning of a new champion.

With only Arthur and Gwen left to arrive, Merlin thought this an opportune moment to move the customary three paces back from Arthur's chair. The last thing he wanted to hear that morning was a ribbing from Arthur about an apparent attempt to rise above his station.

Two hours later Arthur was in deep in discussion with the rest of the council about the various routes the knights were to take to collect this year's taxes. Merlin really had nothing to say on the topic and found himself wishing for something, _anything,_ to occur to relieve the tedium.

It was at that moment that a guard opened the doors of the council chambers and moving a few paces inside, stopped, stood to attention and cleared his throat. "Yes, what is it!" Arthur snapped.

"Forgive me Sire, but there is a diplomat from another Kingdom outside requesting an audience."

"Which Kingdom?" he returned still sounding somewhat impatient.

"He will not say."

Sighing, Arthur replied "Very well, show him in, he may address me before the council."

The guard merely bowed once to Arthur and once to Gwen before leaving.

Merlin couldn't believe his luck! If this was what came of wishing, he would do it more often!

Moments after the diplomat entered the room he was wholeheartedly withdrawing that statement.

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**My very first Fanfiction. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

The guards opened the council chambers to allow the diplomat entry. Arthur could not deny that he was curious. Who showed up at the gates of Camelot unannounced and demanded an audience with the King all the while refusing to give neither his name nor that of the kingdom he represented? A tall skinny man, who looked to be about nineteen, strode through the open doors. His features Arthur thought to himself were decidedly elfin. With high cheekbones, emerald eyes, sandy hair and unnaturally pale skin. Had his hair and eyes been a different colour, one could have been forgiven for thinking him to be Merlin's twin.

It occurred to Arthur that even the clothes of this stranger were unusual. The shiny silver material from which his tunic was made appeared to be some bizarre combination of satin, silk and lace. His brown boots stopped just below his knees and were so tight that they fitted his calves like gloves. Not to mention they were polished to the point that one could see one's own reflection. And the green hooded cloak he wore bore the crest of a silver Dragon so detailed it almost appeared lifelike. Arthur was positive he would have remembered such a crest; the Kingdom from which this clearly underfed warrior hailed must be many, many leagues away. He had to admit that the overall effect was a look of such finery Camelot's court seamstress could not hope to rival. The man looked positively ethereal!

But that was just his clothes! The links in his chainmail were so fine he wondered where on earth he could have found a blacksmith with fingers small enough for the job. His armour fitted his person so perfectly it had to have been tailor-made and Arthur was certain that no blacksmith in all of Camelot possessed the required skill to perform such a task. Particularly given that it was so thin and lightweight that it would have been in danger of snapping several times during the process of its creation. The sword at his side was also so much longer and thinner than any he had seen before that it had to be ceremonial, for how on earth could it be expected to withstand the blows of combat? Not to mention, who has a forest green scabbard? Was it deliberately fashioned to match his cloak or was that a coincidence? His suspicions were confirmed when he spotted Elyan eyeing the stranger's armour with a critical gaze.

Rather than stopping before Arthur as would have been expected in this situation, he continued forward without so much as a glance in his direction and knelt with his head bowed a mere three feet in front of _Mer_lin of all people.

After having held this outrageously respectful position for a few moments, he finally raised his head and eyes shining and in a voice breathless with excitement exclaimed "My Lord Ambrosius! It is truly an honour to have met you at last!"

Merlin's face went a shade whiter if that were possible and after a startled pause responded warily "You seem to have me confused with another. My name is Merlin and I am certainly no Lord, a manservant to the King, nothing more. Wherever did you get 'Lord Ambrosius' from?"

"Yes I'd like to know that too!" Arthur cut in, a little miffed at the snub he had received. The rest of the council for their part had been stunned into silence. There was something different about the way Merlin spoke to this stranger. There was none of the bumbling idiot Arthur and the Knights had come to know and care for in the way he had spoken. In fact if Arthur had not known any better, he would have said the remark had come from an _actual_ nobleman. What on _earth_ was going on?

The young man's response to Merlin's and Arthur's protestations was somewhat hesitant. "Forgive me Sire, but it is possible to have more than one name. I was merely choosing to address you by that which my people know you."

It took Arthur a moment to realise that by _'Sire'_ this man meant Merlin!

"If I may be so bold as to introduce myself" the man continued "I am Ethan, first son of Lord Bertram of the House of Tiarmora. My Father is the current Regent of the Isle of Elfrael. A new Regent has been chosen every five years from among the noble families since our Kingdom's founding. But we have lived in hope of the day that we would be able to forge a path to Albion in order to return with the rightful heir to the throne."

"And you think that heir is _Mer_lin? My _servant_, _Mer_lin?" Arthur spluttered.

"I know he is the heir. I have been sent to bring him home." was Ethan's sure response.

Sighing, Merlin closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your calling me 'Ambrosius' wouldn't have anything to do with the prophecy concerning the Once and Future King would it?" He asked in a defeated tone as though already knowing the answer to be yes.

"Aye, My Lord. Our seers have long foretold the golden age of Albion."

"_Seers?_" Arthur jumped in. "Your Kingdom allows sorcery to run rampant within its walls?"

Merlin shifted his gaze to Arthur for a mere moment before it flickered to over to Gaius. "Gaius" Merlin suddenly barked meeting the old physician's gaze "the Druid translation of Ambrosius, is it what I think it is?"

"I am afraid so." Gaius answered in a grave tone.

"What are you trying to hide from me Merlin?" Arthur demanded.

But Merlin ignored him, turning to face Ethan once more. "Surely if you know of the prophecy then you are aware that I must remain here in Camelot? I have never even heard of this 'Isle of Elfrael' how on earth could I be its rightful King?"

"My Lord, our scryers saw the death of your father Lord Ba-"

"Stop!" Merlin cut him off, a look of fear playing across his features that Arthur could not place. Although one thing was clear, Merlin **did not** want Ethan to finish that sentence and Arthur had every intention of finding out why.

"If you were not already aware of Camelot's laws, Arthur's most recent lapse in decorum ought to have alerted you to the gist of them. Why you would mention _scrying _after that I haven't the faintest idea. Regardless, I have heard enough. Rise, Ethan. This is neither the time nor the place for such a discussion. Camelot's laws are unforgiving and I would not see you come to harm on my account."

Arthur stared at him stunned and though he would never admit it, a little hurt. He prided himself on being a fair and just King. What on earth was Ethan about to say that could make Merlin believe Arthur capable of bearing the strange man any ill will? No matter how ignorant he seemed to be of the proper decorum owed to the King of such a powerful realm? And how dare _Mer_lin criticise _Arthur's_ sense of decorum! Who did he think he was standing there every bit as tall, proud and regal as the 'Lord' this Ethan proclaimed him to be?

Ethan did as he was bid and rose to stand before Merlin. As he did so he withdrew a wad of parchment from within his cloak. (The thought of having pockets on the interior of his cloak had never occurred to Arthur, although he had to admit the concept was ingenious!) "I am grateful for your warning My Lord. This is a letter from my Father, explaining my presence here" Ethan said by way of explanation as he handed the parchment to Merlin.

"Thank-you" Merlin responded tucking it into his jacket. "Could someone pass me some parchment and a quill?" he asked, meeting Gwen's gaze with a hopeful expression. She immediately obliged and was rewarded with a lopsided grin.

He walked over to the round table and took the proffered writing implements. Bending over in such a way that no one could observe his work, he wrote:

_Meet me tonight at Midnight, just beyond Camelot's Southern Gates. I will lead you someplace where we may speak freely._

_Merlin_

Folding the parchment over so that none of the words were visible to prying eyes, he straightened and returned to where Ethan was standing. "Commit this to memory and then destroy it." He ordered.

Merlin was giving orders, how on earth had this happened? And what had he written on that parchment? The curiosity that was building threatened to overwhelm Arthur.

"Until me meet again." Merlin said in a solemn tone.

"Until we meet again" Ethan returned, accepting the parchment and bowing low to Merlin. He then offered a smaller bow in the direction of Arthur and Gwen and took his leave of the council chambers.

As Arthur watched him leave he wondered whether it was indeed wise to allow a potential sorcerer to walk out of Camelot without the merest hint of protest. Still, he supposed the man was yet to do any real harm and it would be far easier to tease his answers out of Merlin if he started off the interrogation on a friendly note. Arresting the first person to kneel at Merlin's feet probably wasn't the best way to go about that. Then again, neither was the remark that he couldn't stop from slipping out the moment Ethan had left the room.

"_My Lord Ambrosius!"_ he intoned, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for not offering you a seat at the round table sooner. I must confess myself to having been ignorant of your rank." He finished with a smirk.

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**So, this chapter was from Arthur's POV. It seems as though Arthur's not too keen on Merlin being the centre of attention! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and/or favourited this story. It definitely encourages me to update sooner! **

**FYI I'm from Australia so if you're from America some words may have slightly different spelling. E.g. 'colour'. Just so you know.**


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin met Arthur's gaze with a glare. Did he think this was _funny_? How on earth was he supposed to get himself out of this mess without revealing his secret? From what he could tell Arthur still hated magic with a passion. There was no way this was going to end well.

"Sit" was Arthur's only response to the look that had been known to send a High Priestess cowering.

Merlin weighed his options for a moment and then sat in the chair indicated, having realised that he probably didn't really have a choice.

"Explain" was Arthur's next command.

Gwaine apparently saw this as the ideal moment to lighten the mood. "Well Princess, I should think that's obvious. Either Merlin's been holding out on us or someone's been doing crazy things to the mead!"

Percival, unfortunately for Merlin, chose that moment to assist Arthur in his pitiful attempt at an interrogation. "Perhaps you should have Merlin read the letter from Lord Bertram. It's probably got a pretty good explanation regarding this whole business." Merlin's glare quickly had him backtracking. Why couldn't it have that effect on Arthur?

"Of course you don't have to read it out loud Merlin! Just read it to yourself and then you can summarise the bits that are important."

All eyes turned to Arthur, who sighed and said in a resigned tone "I suppose that's as good a plan as any at the moment." Then as Merlin was taking Lord Bertram's letter out of his jacket Arthur turned to Gaius and Geoffrey, a look of curiosity suddenly plain on his countenance. "Gaius, Geoffrey, have either of you heard of this 'Isle of Elfrael' before? It did not escape my attention that its rightful ruler is blissfully ignorant!" Merlin snorted, he was never going to hear the end of this.

"I believe I have Sire" Gaius replied as Geoffrey nodded his agreement. "I was under the impression however that is was a mere myth."

"A tale told to the children of peaceful sorcerers during the time of the Great Purge to give them hope during their darkest days." Geoffrey elaborated on Gaius' thin explanation.

"So that Ethan was probably a sorcerer and I just let him walk out of here without so much as blinking?" Arthur demanded.

"It would be impossible to say for certain without proof Sire" was Gaius' guarded reply.

Meanwhile, Merlin was engrossed in the letter he had just received:

_My Dear Lord Ambrosius,_

_I write to petition you regarding a matter of some delicacy. I do not know how much you have been told and so I shall start at the beginning._

_Two years before the Great Purge began, a powerful Seeress came to the Dragonlords foretelling the black event. We questioned her at length regarding possible paths we could take to prevent its ever coming to pass but she assured us there were none. However, she also told us that the future was not devoid of hope. In time, with the aid of the Lord Ambrosius (one of our own) The Once and Future King would rise up and unite the lands of Albion. Under his rule there would be a Golden Age. A time of peace and prosperity, where all peoples would be free, including the Dragons as well as those with magic. _

_However, she warned us that Uther's plan to eradicate magic may actually succeed if action was not taken. Indeed the very future of our beloved Dragons as well as our own noble order was at stake. So with the aid of the Dragons we hatched a plan to shield as many innocents as we could. There was an Island. One separated from Albion by many leagues of ocean, large enough to comfortably house at least ten thousand. In the past its only inhabitants were the Dragons and their Lords. It was the place where all Dragons were called forth from their eggs and raised under the combined tutelage of the adult Dragons and Dragonlords. Though we were loath to share this special place with outsiders, we agreed it was necessary for the future of Albion, not to mention to spare the lives of the many innocents who would otherwise perish at Uther's hand._

_Your father's family (The House of Elfrael itself) has commanded the Dragonlords since before history was written. At the time, Lord Balinor was the only surviving member of this noble household. Kilgarrah at that time had the honour of bearing the title of Great Dragon. (We the people of Elfrael were all deeply saddened to hear of the passing of these two most honourable creatures and I offer my most sincere condolences for the loss of your father. He will be sorely missed. The Dragons have yet to name a successor, so saddened are they by the loss of their kin. At present their second-in-command, Uriah, continues to lead them.) _

_However, I digress. In order to cast an enchantment powerful enough to transport so many people to Elfrael and to conceal it from the outside world, one Dragon and one Dragonlord had to remain in Albion to serve as anchors. It was our intention to transport them to Elfrael immediately after the enchantment had been successfully cast, but something went wrong. Although we were able to communicate with them by scrying, it quickly became apparent that Kilgarrah was no longer able to locate the Island as a result of the enchantment we had cast. When Uriah and I attempted to return to Albion, we discovered an impenetrable shield not five leagues from the Isle's Eastern coastline._

_We agreed to elect a Regent every five years from among the Dragonlords, until such time as we could find a way to break through the barriers formed by the enchantment we had cast. The Dragons however, were satisfied for Uriah to lead them indefinitely as their second-in-command. It has taken us until this moment to reach you Merlin. Even so, we were not so foolish as to remove the barriers completely. Our Isle can only be reached by Dragonback, as was the case before we chose to transform our Isle into a safe haven for those Uther sought to destroy. _

_There are currently more than five hundred Dragons living on the Isle of Elfrael. In the two years leading up to the Great Purge, we were able to rescue eight thousand, nine hundred and fifty-two innocents (a tally that included the Dragonlords and their families). Our offer of sanctuary made to the Druids was respectfully denied at the time. They assured us that their magic was sufficient to hide the location of their camps. They also told us that they would be needed to assist Emrys (That is the druid translation of Ambrosius) in times of great need. I can only hope that their sacrifice has benefited you._

_Although it would be my dearest wish to have you permanently reside here with us, I realise that such an act may very well prevent the Golden Age of Albion from coming to pass. I would however, respectfully request that you visit us and appoint a family of Dragonlords to rule in your stead. Such an act would not strip you of your rightful title as this is a throne from which one cannot truly abdicate. Such a visit from you would also provide our people with much needed hope._

_I have sent my son Ethan to you so that he and Niall may guide you back to Elfrael. Niall has recently entered his seventieth year on this earth and is confident in his abilities to carry you both such a distance. Please express my gratitude to him once more for volunteering to undertake such an important task._

_I look forward to meeting you in person._

_Yours, most respectfully,_

_Lord Bertram._

Merlin's first reaction was hysterical laughter. Uther was such a liar! He had not managed to kill one single Dragon or Dragonlord! They simply disappeared. Merlin wondered if Uther had ever found that odd, or if he truly was arrogant enough to declare them dead and take the credit without so much as bothering to verify what fate had befallen them in reality.

Next he discovered that not only was he in fact a nobleman (Lord Merlin Ambrosius, only son of Lord Balinor of the House of Elfrael! What a mouthful!) but there was a rather large and quite obviously magical island named after his family! However, his laughter did not reach its true climax until he discovered the sheer number of magic users that had escaped Uther's wrath. The man must be turning in his grave!

He sobered up a bit when he read of the Druids' refusal to seek refuge in Elfrael. They shouldn't have made such sacrifices for him, he wasn't worth it. His smile returned in force when he thought of meeting Niall, not to mention the look on his face when he realised Kilgarrah was very much alive! Merlin was at a loss as to why their scryers had not seen him alive and well in recent years.

His fellow members of the round table had ceased discussing the myths and legends surrounding the Isle of Elfrael the moment Merlin's outburst began and were staring at him with stunned expressions on their faces.

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**What do you think? How's Merlin going to explain this fit of hysteria to Arthur? I will try to update soon. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh I have got to see this Island!" Merlin exclaimed excitedly. "You'll never believe this Gaius!" He continued between bursts of laughter, looking as though all his Christmas' had come at once. "None of the Dragonlords were killed, the simply packed their bags for Elfrael! Why on earth did King Uther claim to have killed them, surely he didn't actually think they were dead?"

"Merlin, I do believe that's exactly what he thought." Gaius replied. "You can be sure that if the Dragonlords chose to go into hiding they would have wanted to paint a rather convincing picture of their demise. It is no secret that they would have had sufficient magic at their disposal to fool all of Camelot!"

Arthur couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You want to travel _alone_, to an Island packed with Dragonlords? Is this Lord Bertram a Dragonlord?" Merlin couldn't actually _want_ to travel to an island, ruled by _sorcerers _that nobody had ever even heard of save for a few myths, could he?

"He most certainly is Sire." was Gaius' immediate reply.

"He means me no harm, I'm sure of it. Please Arthur, this man knew my father." Merlin implored him.

"Ah yes, your father" Merlin had oh so foolishly just reminded Arthur of that moment when he managed to cut off what Ethan had been saying earlier. "What was his name? I seem to have forgotten what Ethan said when he mentioned it earlier. Oh that's right! You didn't let him finish. I want answers _Mer_lin and I want them _now_."

Merlin, whilst shooting a pleading look at Gaius quite literally blanched. What was so terrible about Merlin's father that he felt the man's name couldn't even be voiced in Arthur's presence?

After staring at Gaius' encouraging expression for a few moments, Merlin seemed to come to a decision. "Arthur, I will answer any questions you have as honestly and completely as I am able on one condition."

"Name it."

"That you will neither execute nor banish me nor punish me in any way for anything I say in response to the questions you ask."

"Why would you need such assurances?"

"Because my father practised magic before the Great Purge" Merlin said in a voice so frightened and quiet, Arthur almost did not hear. Dread pooled in his stomach. How could he make such a promise whilst blind to Merlin's secrets? By Camelot's laws, Merlin could be executed simply for being this man's son.

That was wrong.

Arthur was momentarily stunned by the conviction of that thought that had popped unbidden into his head. However, he could not deny the truth of such a statement. Executing someone for no reason other than the identity of his parents was absurd. Barbaric! He knew his father wouldn't have hesitated to commit such an atrocity, that he had in fact done it in the past.

It was at that moment that Arthur was struck with an epiphany. If his father was wrong in this area concerning the legal ramifications of magic, perhaps he was wrong in others. Arthur was confident that in any case he could swear everyone in this room to secrecy. So why not grant Merlin clemency this once? Surely the idiot couldn't be guilty of anything that terrible.

"All right Merlin" he sighed "You have my word that you will be granted full clemency for anything that may come to light during this meeting. Everyone in this room is hereby sworn to secrecy. I cannot change Camelot's laws overnight and Merlin is already flirting with them. I do not want to be put in the position of having to publicly pass judgement on Merlin. Is that understood?"

Having received murmurs of assent from everyone in the room, Arthur gestured for Merlin to speak.

"Gaius?" Merlin asked, appearing to be deep in thought. "Were the Dragonlords really Lords? I mean were they actually considered to be nobility?"

"They were indeed." Gaius replied. "Since you have been granted clemency, I suppose I may speak freely without any fear of adverse repercussions."

"Of course you can Gaius!" came Arthur's shocked reply. Did nobody trust him anymore? How could Gaius fear that he would come to harm at Arthur's hand? "You needn't fear me" he continued, voicing his thoughts. "Surely you must know that."

"It was not I that I was thinking of when I voiced my concern Sire, rather it was Merlin." And just like that they were back to Merlin and his never-ending secrets. But it would seem the boy was not yet ready to talk as he once again managed to succeed in changing the subject. So skilful in the art was he that he managed to do it without seeming to be changing the subject at all.

"Whatever you were going to say before Arthur interrupted you Gaius, please continue. I'm not afraid of Arthur." Oh he wasn't was he? Well they would have to see about that!

"Before the Great Purge began, before King Uther chose to turn his back on magic, the Dragonlords ranked the highest of all noblemen." Gaius began, his storytelling voice implying that this was no time for interruptions. He had a story to tell and he expected all who were present to listen attentively.

"So highly regarded were they, that every ruler throughout the Five Kingdoms treated them as equals. To have them choose to serve a King as members of his Council was considered a great honour. In each Kingdom, it was customary for the position of Court Sorcerer to belong to a Dragonlord."

Surely not, Arthur thought. Surely Camelot had never had a Court Sorcerer, at least not during his father's reign?

"In fact, it was your own father, Merlin, Lord Balinor who held the position in Camelot." Gaius continued.

Arthur froze. Somewhere in the distance he heard Gwaine whistle. No wonder Merlin had cut that boy off! He _knew_ Arthur would recognise the name. Balinor was the name of the Dragonlord they had gone in search of when the Great Dragon had escaped his bonds, the very man that had been killed by Cenred's men. And Arthur had been the one to tell Merlin that no man was worth his tears. He pushed the guilt he felt to the back of his mind. There would be time for apologies later.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Merlin eyeing him warily, as though unsure as to whether his promise of clemency was still in effect. Even Gaius had paused in his tale to study Arthur's reaction, knowing full well the import of what he had said.

It was then that it hit Arthur like a ton of bricks. If Balinor was a Dragonlord then that must mean that Merlin… "I didn't kill the Great Dragon, did I?" He asked as he turned to glare at Merlin.

Merlin visibly gulped. "Before you continue ranting your well-justified outrage, I promise you that I had a very, very good reason for starting that rumour."

The Knights couldn't help it; they could not help but laugh at Merlin's placating tone. All except Leon, Arthur noted. Arthur understood this. Of his most trusted Knights, Leon had been the only Knight present in Camelot when the Great Dragon laid waste to his beloved city. He had come so close to losing Gwen that night.

"Is it dead?" Merlin jumped a foot in his seat when Leon barked this question.

"What?" he gasped, clearly startled by the Knight's ferocity.

"The Great Dragon, is it dead?" Leon pushed his point.

"First of all," Merlin began, the barest hint of steel in his tone, "the Great Dragon is not an 'it' his _name_ is Kilgarrah. And no he is not dead, I banished him. When Arthur came to, I told him that he had struck a fatal blow, really what was I supposed to say? Uther would have had me executed!"

Leon wasn't happy, that much was obvious. But he held his tongue as Arthur began to ask his own questions. Arthur, for his part, did his best to swallow his resentment at the fact that Merlin showed absolutely no remorse for having lied to Arthur.

"Why did we have to go on that wild goose chase to track down your father?" Arthur demanded. "You could have stopped the Dragon the moment he escaped his bonds!" he continued angrily, "and why the HELL did you let that Dragon live?"

Merlin's eyes flashed with anger of his own. "I did everything I could to stop him Arthur!" He yelled back. "But at that time I did not yet have the power to tame a Dragon! It is passed from father to son. IN DEATH!" Merlin's chest was heaving from the force with which he had shouted these words.

"Call me weak if you want" he continued in a low shaking voice, his anger barely under control "but I couldn't kill him. Not when he begged me to spare his life. Not when I believed him to be last of his kind! Actually, that was one of his arguments for his clemency. It is also my duty as a Dragonlord to protect the Dragons. I would have been doing a rather poor job if I had chosen to kill off their race! Regardless, you ought to be glad that I showed him mercy. Without his help Camelot would have fallen numerous times since the night I spared his life."

The guilt returned in full force. Of course Merlin would have done everything in his power. Time and again he had proved is loyalty to Camelot. How many times had he tried to die for Arthur? At some point he would have to ask Merlin what this Dragon had done for Camelot at Merlin's command, but now was not the time.

"I'm sorry Merlin; I shouldn't have attacked you like that. I'm also sorry for what I said to you when your father was killed. I was wrong, and I take it back, every word." Arthur's voice rang with the depth of his sincerity.

"It's all right Arthur, you weren't to know", was Merlin's immediate reply. Arthur sighed. Merlin was always so quick to forgive him. Well the least he could do was prove that that trust and friendship was well placed.

"So", he said, with gentle eyes and a tentative smile on his lips, "you really are a Dragonlord." He felt Gwen's hand gently squeeze his, informing him that he had made the right decision. His heart leapt when he beheld the hopeful smile that Merlin returned.

"Merlin", Gwaine said slowly shaking his head, "when you told me that Uther banished your father, I knew the tyrant had to have been in the wrong, but never, not once, did I _ever_ imagine something like this!"

"Wait you told Gwaine about your father and not me?" Arthur spluttered.

Merlin sighed. "Gwaine hates nobles. You're King of a land that executes people simply for having magic. Contrary to popular belief", he continued, casting a meaningful glance at Gaius, "I do not have a death wish, so yes, I told Gwaine and not you."

"If it makes you feel better, Princess, all he told me was that his father once served yours and he'd only met the man briefly before he died because the King had turned on him and he'd been banished from the Kingdom." Gwaine said in his best peace-keeping voice.

"The banished part wasn't entirely true." Merlin said in a tone of quiet anger. "He was hunted. Uther wanted him dead by whatever means necessary. He fled to Ealdor where he fell in love with my mother. But that wasn't far enough for Uther." He laughed humourlessly. "He sent his Knights after my father and he was forced to flee once more. He didn't even know my mother was with child."

Now Arthur felt truly awful. It was his father's fault that Merlin had grown up not knowing his. The guilt must have been rather plain on his face for Gaius saw fit to clear his throat and change the subject, albeit not nearly as subtly as Merlin was capable of.

* * *

**4 chapters in 2 days! and this one is over 2,000 words! **

**This chapter turned out to be a fair bit more angsty then I was expecting! Although a guilty Arthur is far better than an angry Arthur where Merlin's concerned. As always please review! I may not be able to update for a week or so as I will be visiting my sister for Christmas, but the next chapter will be up as soon as it is written!**


	5. Chapter 5

"As I was saying earlier, the Dragonlords were the most highly regarded of all noblemen. Those who were not named Court Sorcerer in one Kingdom or another travelled throughout Albion, caring for the Dragons, putting an end to magical attacks and curing magical and non-magical diseases alike." Gaius began, slipping back into his storytelling voice.

"Before you continue Gaius" Arthur interrupted in his 'King' voice.

He put on a good show, but Merlin was willing to bet that Arthur was still wallowing over the misery the Pendragons had inflicted on Merlin. He wondered what Arthur would do when he found out that the death of Merlin's father did not amount to even half of what he had suffered. The man needed to stop wallowing! The death of Merlin's father wasn't even his fault. If anything, Merlin thought darkly, the blame rested with him, if he hadn't released Kilgarrah, his father would still be alive.

"I've a feeling we're going to be here for a while and it would be best if someone was sent to fetch lunch" Arthur continued. "Gwaine, would you be _so_ kind as to pop your head out the door and send someone to the kitchens?"

"You're wish, my command!" the drunken knight responded as he swaggered to the doors of the council chambers and partially opened one. "You there!" he cried "Simon, Simeon…"

"It's Stephen, My Lord."

"Right you are Stephen! Listen would you be a chap and arrange for some lunch to be sent here forthwith? Fit for a King and enough to feed ten men! Oh and if you can manage it, some mead would earn you my _undying_ gratitude."

"Of course, My Lord, I shall fetch it at once!"

"Stephen. Stephen. Stephen. There's no need for this _'My Lord'_ business. It's not like I'm actually a noble!" Merlin, with a level of self-control that would rival that of a Dragon actually managed to keep a straight face at this remark. Gwaine's secret was not his to tell and he'd be damned if it was found out through his inability to keep from laughing of all things!

"I'm so sorry Gaius. I promise I'll do my absolute best to keep from interrupting the rest of your tale." Gaius made a gesture with his hand to indicate that all was forgiven.

Gaius continued his tale while they waited for lunch to arrive. "The heart of a Dragonlord is wild, restless and difficult to tame. Their unbreakable bond with the Dragons makes it so. They are men of action, yet at the same time possess a wisdom that is both profound and deep. This trait is one they share with the Dragons. The Dragons in turn, inherit the gifts of speech and conscious thought from the Dragonlords. No doubt Merlin could regale you all with several stories of how Kilgarrah's wisdom has saved Camelot in times when all hope was lost."

"For a Dragonlord to choose to surrender their nomadic lifestyle in favour of settling down in one Kingdom or another required an event of great magnitude, oftentimes it was love. The Dragonlords cared nothing for social status. They fell in love with whomever they pleased. Should she turn out to be a servant, her status was instantly elevated to that of a high-born lady the moment they were married, in much the same way as Gwen's status was elevated when she and Arthur married. The love a Dragonlord felt for his lady was something so absolute that it that bears no comparison. There was nothing he would not do for her. Nothing he would not become for her."

"In spite of the unwillingness of a Dragonlord to settle in one place, however, they were always careful to ensure that every King had at least one Dragonlord, as a member of his most trusted council. It was their way of maintaining peace. Many a King has been talked out of war by the Dragonlords at his side."

Merlin could immediately see the truth in Gaius' words. It was his undying loyalty to Arthur and their entwined destiny as well as their unbreakable friendship that kept him in Camelot. But there had also been a time when he had been willing to drop everything and leave Camelot without a second thought. A time when he had fallen in love, but fate had intervened. He stopped that thought cold. It would not do to think of Freya now. Their time had ended before it had even begun. He should move on. She would want that. In fact as she lay dying she had said as much.

Lunch arrived at that moment and Arthur, deep in thought, bade them to eat. Gwaine saw this as an ideal moment to begin digging for gossip.

"So, Merlin, our resident Dragonlord, have _you_ ever had a lady-friend?" He asked with raised eyebrows and a smirk that could leave nobody, not even Arthur, at a loss as to what he meant.

Merlin sighed, honesty _was_ the best policy. Or so they said. "Once" he replied a look of utter desolation playing across his features. "I'd rather not talk about her, besides it was many years ago."

* * *

Gwaine knew better than to press the point and so (in spite of his burning curiosity) he (Gwen and Gaius as well, he noted with some satisfaction) made sure to lock eyes with Arthur, silently communicating that he too should also refrain from pressing the point.

Lunch passed by with little conversation for no other reason, he suspected, than that like himself, everyone was too hungry too talk and had all focused on eating as much as possible as fast as possible. He also noted with great pleasure the presence of a generous supply of mead. This called for some special reward, perhaps, in future, he would endeavour to get Stephen's name right without having to be prompted!

He also noted with minor irritation, that as usual, Merlin would not have more than one tankard, drinking the thing so slowly so that it lasted the whole way through their lunch. No doubt this was a ploy to avoid having to accept a refill.

Once the table had been cleared and the servants had departed, the conversation returned to more serious matters.

* * *

**This chapter was somewhat shorter than usual because it was a bit of a filler to explain how the Dragonlords fitted into society before the Great Purge.**

**Sorry it took so long to update! This is the first time I've had access to a computer since Christmas Eve.**

**By the way, for the purposes of this story and my sanity I'm going to pretend season 5 never happened. It was far too depressing, especially the ending. I know that that's pretty much how it ended in the actual ledgend, but they let Merlin out of the crystal cave didn't they? So why not let Arthur survive?**

**Anyway, I'm going to pretend Aithusa was never imprisoned, she never met Morgana and she wasn't totally ignored by Merlin because I need her healthy and on Camelot's side for this story. **

**The line break at the end there was to show that it was switching to Gwaine's point of view. **

**Let me know how you think I did writing him. Also would you like the next chapter to be from Arthur's point of view or Gwaine's? Or someone else's entirely? I'm open to suggestions!**

**If you have some burning suggestions about where you think the story should be headed I'd love to hear that too. As always, please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Merlin" Arthur began in a stern voice, "I think it's high time you stopped dodging everyone's questions and started giving us some straight answers about this situation we've found ourselves in. I've offered you full clemency for anything you may say in response to our questions and I fully intend to uphold that."

"You can start by explaining why Lord Bertram has contacted you."

Merlin heaved a sigh. It would seem Arthur had finally woken up to his tricks, although keeping the topic on the subject of the history of the Dragonlords hadn't worked out so well for him when Gaius had let his father's name slip. He was going to have to keep an eye on Leon.

Seeing that Arthur was about to begin round two of his incessant nagging he held up a hand. "Let me think for a minute Arthur. It was a _really_ long letter!"

There were a few snorts and giggles at this unorthodox excuse to buy time.

"Okay" Merlin began a few moments after everyone had quieted down "to cut a long story short, Ethan is here to take me back to my ancestral home, the Isle of Elfrael. My family, the House of Elfrael has ruled the Dragonlords since before history was written. During the two years before the Great Purge began; the Dragonlords began a mass evacuation of as many Dragons and peaceful magic users as they could. The families of these innocents were also evacuated."

"However, in order to shield the Isle from discovery, powerful magic had to be cast. Not only was every person with strong magic required to assist with this task, but one Dragon and one Dragonlord needed to stay behind to serve as anchors for the spell. My father and Kilgarrah volunteered. They were supposed to travel to Elfrael the moment their task was complete but something went wrong. The magic cast was too strong. No one living on Elfrael could travel more than five leagues across the ocean and Kilgarrah was no longer able to locate the Island."

"The people of Elfrael were still able to communicate with Albion by way of scrying, but it has taken until this moment for them to break down the defences they erected to a sufficient extent to allow someone to make the journey safely from Elfrael to Albion. Lord Bertram is no fool however, at present the Isle can only be reached by Dragonback. Or to put it another way, only a Dragon can find the Isle. I suspect that anyone foolish enough to attempt the journey without the aid of a Dragon will find themselves mysteriously veering off course."

"According to Lord Bertram, my father's death has left me with the fate of being the only heir to the 'throne' (for lack of a better word) of Elfrael. Whether that means that I am the last surviving member of the House of Elfrael or that my still being alive prevents the other members from taking power, I have no idea. This was as sudden for me as it was for the rest of you. Until Ethan's arrival, _which I knew __**nothing**__ about_" he hurriedly added, seeing the look of suspicion on Arthur's face, "I actually believed myself to be the last of my kind."

"To be the last of one's kind would be a terrible fate Merlin, I'm sorry you had to feel so alone." Percival murmured.

"Thanks Percival" Merlin replied with a gentle smile. Though Percival was a man of few words his empathy had not escaped Merlin's attention. In fact Merlin had never heard an unkind word escape the man's lips except in jest. And in those moments it was always said with a smile and a sparkle in his eye so that no man could find it within his heart to take offence.

"Anyway, now that you know the background, I can tell you more about what's going on in the present. In my absence, the Dragonlords have been electing a new regent every five years from among themselves to rule the people of Elfrael. Lord Bertram is the current regent, something I think Ethan mentioned earlier, and he has requested that I travel to Elfrael to appoint a family of Dragonlords to rule in my absence. He's not asking me to abdicate exactly it's more like electing a permanent regent until I'm either no longer needed in Camelot or it is deemed safe for everyone to return to Albion, whichever comes first."

It was at that moment that devastation suddenly engulfed Merlin's mind (though he made sure to keep his expression devoid of emotion) for he had suddenly realised that he could not travel to Elfrael no matter how desperately he wanted to. He couldn't leave Camelot or Arthur unsupervised even for a moment, not with Morgana and possibly Mordred as well looming over their heads. There was no one who could stand in for him and take his place whilst he was gone away and even if there was, how could he ask anyone to bear such a burden?

"None of it matters though", Merlin began voicing his thoughts in a tone that was every bit as desolate as he felt. "No matter how desperately I want to, I cannot make the journey. I am needed here in Camelot and I can think of no one who would or even _could_ take my place. Besides even if there was someone, I could never ask it of them, no one deserves such a burden." He was of course thinking of the destiny weighing on his shoulders, though he knew only Gaius could understand this.

* * *

Arthur sighed. Surely that was going a bit far. How hard was it to replace a servant, particularly a servant as incompetent as _Mer_lin? Especially considering his absence was only temporary? How conceited was the boy, implying that Camelot could not function in his absence!

"Honestly _Mer_lin" he drawled "Do you really believe it will be that difficult to replace a servant that is as useless as you are? This morning was the first that you've been on time in _months_! And what do you mean serving me is a burden you would wish on nobody?"

Merlin heaved a sigh. "Clearly I cannot speak for Gwen, seeing as she actually volunteered to _marry_ you but it surely it could not have escaped anyone else's attention how much of a prat you can be, had that goblet actually hit me this morning it would undoubtedly have left a bruise of _significant_ magnitude!"

The death glare Gwaine was sending his way after that last statement did not escape Arthur's attention. Nor did the smirk on his wife's face; how she managed to find the funny side of the insult Merlin had just paid him he could not imagine. In fact he was certain that there was no funny side at all.

"Besides" well, it would seem that _Mer_lin wasn't done yet "that actually wasn't what I meant." He then chose to ignore Arthur completely and focus his attention on Gaius.

"Gaius what on earth am I going to do?" Well that certainly wasn't what Arthur was expecting. What did he mean that wasn't what he meant?

"I do not think you can refuse to journey to Elfrael without gravely insulting your kinsmen. They have gone to great lengths to make this day possible." Gaius replied solemnly.

"I was afraid of that. But who will watch over Camelot in my absence?" Merlin queried in an equally serious tone. There he went again implying that Camelot would fall without his constant supervision. Just because Merlin had turned out to be a Dragonlord, it didn't make him a knight! Even if it did, what knight had the valour; courage and strength to singlehandedly defend a kingdom?

"We will simply have to find some way for you to maintain contact with us whilst you are away" Gaius stated lamely after a lengthy silence.

"Perhaps I can work out something. At the very least I'm sure the scryers Ethan mentioned would, if I requested it, be more than happy to keep an eye on Morgana and anyone else crazy enough to think they can succeed in marching on Camelot in my absence." Merlin mused.

A rather fond and somewhat wry smile spread across Gaius' countenance. "My boy, there is no one in all of Albion besides myself who sees you as anything more than a gangly serving boy that struggles to lift a sword, much less wield it. Your leaving Camelot will hardly provoke an attack, rather, the danger lies in something that has already been planned, without reference to you, occurring in your absence."

"You know as well as I that Morgana is wary of me Gaius, even if she has not the slightest inkling of what I am capable of, she knows I have meddled in her plans more than once."

It would seem that Merlin had chosen to ignore the jibe about his skill with the sword. But what was this? Morgana had no idea what Merlin was capable of? Merlin had meddled in her plans more than once? Arthur had had enough of all the riddles and of Merlin's beating around the bush. How often must Merlin be told? He wanted straight answers.

"What do you mean Morgana has no idea what you're capable of Merlin? What exactly _are_ you capable of?"

Arthur had the satisfaction of seeing Merlin gulp. "I just meant that she hasn't the faintest idea that I'm a Dragonlord. I also have every reason to believe that she is blissfully ignorant of the fact that the Great Dragon still lives."

He was lying. It was a good lie, but still he _knew_ Merlin was lying, Arthur didn't think Merlin could have looked more shifty if he'd tried. How often had these lies escaped Arthur's notice?

"I granted you clemency for a reason Merlin. I know you're lying so just stop it. Tell me the truth."

"That wasn't a lie Arthur. She honestly has no idea that I am a Dragonlord!" So that was his secret to getting out of answering questions! Half-truths, how on earth had he missed this?

"Poor choice of words" Arthur conceded "You're not telling the whole truth. There's something you're still hiding and I want to know what it is. NOW!"

* * *

**Dun Dun Dun! Looks like Merlin may have to spill a few more secrets! I was hoping to finish up the round table meeting this chapter, but Arthur wanted to rant. Let me know if this story is moving too slowly and I'll do my best to speed it up.**

**How is everyone liking having multiple POVs in one chapter? Should I stop it? Also, do you prefer shorter chapters and quicker updates or longer chapters with bigger breaks between posting?**

**I'm also trying to think up a name for the king of the Dragonlords. Surely they must have had one, but Dragonking sounds weird and so does Great Dragonlord. Also, does anyone know the official script for Merlin's dragon shout? There seem to be multiple versions.**

**As always, please review! Many thanks to those who have already shown their support by reviewing, favouriting, following this story.**


	7. Chapter 7

Merlin couldn't believe this! How had he managed to talk himself into such a dead end? Why oh why did this have to be the day Arthur chose to pay attention. Though Merlin knew that if Arthur were being truly observant, he would have realised that the chances of being a Dragonlord and not having magic were slim to none.

Still, he couldn't tell Arthur about his magic, could he? Surely all promises of clemency would fly out the window at the very mention of the word!

His mental panic ceased abruptly the moment he heard the shouting in his head.

'_Young Warlock'_ came Kilgarrah's panicked cry '_you must proceed immediately to the clearing in which we are accustomed to meeting. Aithusa is winging her way there as we speak and I cannot stop her in broad daylight!'_

"Now really _isn't_ a convenient time!" Merlin growled.

"_Convenient!_ I am the King of Camelot and you will answer me when I ask you a question!"

Arthur's indignant cry alerted Merlin not only to the fact that he had spoken aloud, but also that there were others in the room. He had quite forgotten his surroundings when Kilgarrah had begun speaking.

"I wasn't talking to _you_ Arthur!" Merlin screeched, effectively leaving the King too stunned to speak.

'_Would you have the whole of Camelot alerted to my presence?'_ the Dragon continued to howl in his mind. _'It is mid-afternoon and there are no clouds to grace the sky. Even if this were not the case, you would still be able to reach the clearing much more quickly than I. Aithusa has gained a significant lead, she left many hours ago whilst we were meant to be sleeping. I have only just awoken.'_

'_What on earth possessed her to travel to __**Camelot **__in broad daylight?'_ Merlin demanded making sure to speak only with his mind. It occurred to Merlin that if he could outrace a Dragon on this one, Aithusa must be very, _very_ close to that clearing.

'_I believe she wanted to see you. She does not yet understand the need to remain hidden.'_

'_Fine, fine, I'll go, but make sure you come the moment it is dark enough for you to travel.'_

'_I will.' _

'_Good, though you have got to work on your parenting skills.'_

'_Fair winds, Young Warlock' _was Kilgarrah's only response.

"Gaius!" Merlin jumped to his feet speaking aloud for the first time since thoroughly wounding Arthur's ego. "I've got to go! I've not a moment to lose. Make up a credible excuse, preferably one that doesn't involve the tavern!" Gaius had the decency to look somewhat chastised at the mention of taverns.

"Oh and if any villagers report seeing anything strange; find some way to convince them that they didn't."

"How am I to do that?" Gaius demanded.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Merlin exploded. "You're the Court Physician! Tell them they have a strange illness that's causing them to hallucinate!" With that, he fled the council chambers.

Racing down the stairs and into the courtyard below, he spotted one of the stable boys leading a saddled mare.

"Timothy! How long has that horse been riding today?"

"Hullo Merlin! She's not been ridden yet. I was just takin' 'er out fer some exercise."

"I'll take her. I've an urgent errand to run for the King and it'll save me saddling a horse."

"Right you are Merlin. I'll be seein' you la'er then."

Launching himself into the saddle and gratefully taking the reins from Timothy, he urged the mare into a gallop, making for the clearing as quickly as he was able.

* * *

"Arthur you need to calm down." Gwaine said evenly not liking the shade the King's face was turning. "Merlin's been through quite a bit today and it was only a matter of time before the shock and stress of it all caused him to snap. He's not a Knight you know. He's not used to that sort of pressure. That little tantrum he threw was clearly a poorly thought out plan to get some time to himself."

"Leave him be and he'll tell you all there is to know in time. He trusts you." Gwaine could see that his little speech was working. Everyone could. Arthur was visibly and quite literally calming down before their very eyes.

He sighed. That had been quite close. It was clever of Merlin to feign a nervous breakdown and race from the room and Gwaine was glad that he could help that little plan succeed. He needed to go after Merlin, he knew that, but first he had to ensure all conversation topics were well and truly away from the possibility of Merlin having magic.

Gwaine was far more observant than people gave him credit for. It went without saying. But he knew that now that Merlin had been outed as a Dragonlord even Arthur was capable of making the 'Merlin has magic' leap. Gwaine had suspected it for a long time now but had never felt right about confronting Merlin. The man would tell him when he was good and ready and as much as it hurt that Merlin didn't trust Gwaine with his secret, he could understand his reasons.

So now he was going to do the neighbourly thing and fill the gaping hole Merlin had left (that nobody but himself had seemed to notice) with an extremely mundane explanation. "So Gaius, while we're waiting for Merlin to calm down how about explaining that 'tavern' reference of his. Please tell me that hasn't been you're excuse to cover up his naps!" he exclaimed giving Gaius a rather pointed look. Merlin was _never _in the tavern. Arthur had to be the most gullible King in history!

At this Arthur turned to glare at Gaius and said in a dangerously calm tone "you mean to say that every time you said he was in the tavern he was actually _napping_ and _Gwaine_ has known the truth all along?"

"Sire" Gaius replied in a placating tone, evidently taking Gwaine's not so subtle hint "You work him too hard and there have been numerous occasions when I have feared for his health. He took those naps on my orders as Court Physician, I am sorry for deceiving you but Merlin felt that you would not understand, not to mention, he was somewhat embarrassed at the necessity of such measures."

Gwaine was pleased to see that Arthur looked somewhat mollified. Gaping hole closed, and the perfect opportunity for permission to go after Merlin opened!

"Arthur, perhaps you should let me go after Merlin, judging by his comments about villagers seeing strange things, he was planning to leave the city and judging by the state he was in he's unlikely to be watching his back. I'd let you go yourself but he won't want to be seeing you, not after that little spat the two of you just had. Besides, he's got no sword."

Boy did Arthur look guilty! "Yes, yes of course, take your time. This meeting is adjourned until Gwaine returns with Merlin."

"And Gwaine?" Arthur called as Gwaine made for the doors.

"Yes?" He had to admit he felt a little guilty for the pain on Arthur's face.

"Tell him I'm sorry. He'll understand what for." Articulate as ever.

"I will." Gwaine promised before swiftly exiting the chambers. It was time to see who had been privy to Merlin's flight from the Citadel.

* * *

**Saved by the Dragons! And Gwaine! How's that for a twist?**

**Next chapter will be a heart to heart between Merlin and Gwaine. Sorry if anyone seems OOC I'm doing my best to avoid it but sometimes it's hard to judge!**

**If anyone has some good names for original characters or additional Dragons, I'd love to include them.**

**As always, please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin made extremely good time, thanks to the mad gallop he'd urged the horse into. There had been a few near misses with trees, but both horse and rider made it to the clearing relatively unscathed. Though it would seem he had not been fast enough.

Aithusa was zooming round the clearing repeatedly and as fast as she was able, too excited to wait patiently for her master.

"Aithusa" he said in a stern voice, while dismounting and tying the reins of his mare a low hanging but sturdy looking branch.

The effect was immediate. The moment he spoke, she landed before him looking meek and contrite. At least that's how Merlin chose to interpret it, reading the Dragons' faces was still somewhat of a mystery to him. Well at any rate, she seemed to know she was in trouble. Small mercies, there's always a silver lining. He continued to chant optimistic phrases in his mind as he stared the Dragon down.

She had grown since he'd last seen her. She was now as long as he was tall and that _wasn't_ including her tail! "What on earth were you thinking?" he finally exploded. "How could you leave Kilgarrah like that? There are still _hours_ of daylight left! What if you'd been seen? You know I still haven't even ascertained that you have been! What on earth possessed you to come so close to Camelot?" He was panting with the exertion of his outburst.

"Want… see… you" he heard a small frightened voice reply.

Guilt. She was frightened of him.

"I'm sorry Aithusa." He said sincerely, taking a deep breath. "It was wrong of me to shout so. It's just that you gave me quite a scare is all." He smiled lopsidedly to show all was forgiven.

"You've learned some new words since I saw you last." He commented, changing the subject as he approached her. "But I'm afraid what you said wasn't really a sentence. What you should have said was 'I wanted to see you Merlin. You light up my sky and I could not bear the pain of separation.' I'm only joking, you only needed to say the first part, and saying my name isn't even strictly necessary."

He was rambling, he knew that. But he also knew that Aithusa loved to hear him prattle. He wasn't really correcting her grammar. She'd learn it all herself in time, simply from being around him. It was merely the first topic he thought of when looking to change the subject. That was his secret. The way he avoided questions he couldn't or didn't want to answer. Never hesitate. Always go with the first thing that comes to mind no matter how absurd. If you don't hesitate, no one will question it.

"Come sit by me, I want to lie down for a bit." He commanded as he lay down on his back. Aithusa did she was bid but not without a tentative "play?"

"Maybe later" he conceded, he never had been able to say no to her, "If I go to sleep, do you promise to be here when I wake? Kilgarrah cannot travel until it is dark and you've caused enough trouble already. Besides there are bandits in these woods, I'll need you to stand guard whilst I am unaware, I really am quite tired."

He really was. All the stress of the day had taken a lot out of him.

"Promise" Aithusa vowed.

Good. He thought as he drifted off to sleep, kept warm by Aithusa's body pressed along the length of his right side. He knew she would never allow him to calm to harm.

* * *

"_You there! Would you perhaps have seen the King's manservant come flying out here in a mad hurry sometime this afternoon?"_

"_Aye, 'e was runnin' an urgent errand for the King, Sir Gwaine an' so I gave 'im a horse I'd only just saddled." Urgent errand my ass!_

"_Which way was he headed?"_

"_From the courtyard 'e made directly for the Darkling Woods, straight as an arrow, Milord." The Darkling Woods? That idiot!_

"_I seem to be at a disadvantage. You know my name but I've not the pleasure of knowing yours."_

"_Timothy, Milord."_

"_There's no need for such courtesy Timothy, I'm no noble. Just saddle a horse for me and I'll be on my way."_

"_At once!" Cried the boy before bowing and running helter skelter for the stables._

Gwaine sighed at the memory. It would seem that now he was a Knight, those who were not nobility refused to see him as an equal. He wasn't their equal, he knew that. But they didn't! Only Merlin did.

On a more positive note, he had felt rather astute in his deduction that if his hunch about Merlin leaving the Citadel was correct, the most likely person to have seen him leave was a stable hand. He was still gloating over the fact that he'd been right on all counts.

Merlin's tracks were not hard to find knowing the direction he'd gone in. Not to mention the trail was still fresh. Thanks to the mad gallop he'd clearly urged the horse into the trail was almost too easy to follow. Gwaine hadn't had to dismount once. What concerned him though was the distance Merlin had gone.

Didn't he know there were bandits in these woods? Magic or no magic, this behaviour was beyond reckless. It was a wonder horse and rider hadn't been flung headlong into a tree at the pace they'd been going! And the magic wasn't even a definite. Just a theory presented to Gwaine by his overactive imagination. He found himself fervently hoping he was right about the magic. Merlin was bloody useless with a sword. It wasn't really his fault, swords were heavy things, maybe if a blacksmith could forge a lighter blade they could do something about Merlin's defenselessness.

It was at that moment Gwaine spotted a horse tied to a low hanging branch. The saddle could easily be identified as coming from the royal stables of Camelot so it was a safe guess that this mare had been Merlin's mount.

No signs of a struggle. Stay positive.

He tied his horse to the same branch and entered an unbelievably large clearing. Right in the middle was Merlin, sleeping next to a white Dragon. Its scales shone in the sunlight. Gwaine supposed that since Merlin was a Dragonlord that probably wasn't as dangerous as it looked.

It was at that moment that the Dragon chose to lift its head and growl at Gwaine.

Remain calm. Think. Gaius says Dragons can talk. Very helpful Gwaine!

If Dragons can talk they can probably be reasoned with. Better.

Slowly he undid his sword belt and cast the weapon aside. So much for mentally astute, a snide voice whispered in his head. Ignoring it he raised his hands, palms facing forward in a show of surrender.

"I mean you know harm." He said in his most placating tone. "I'm a friend of Merlin's. I just wanted to make sure he was all right."

The Dragon eyed him shrewdly. At least that's what he thought it was doing and growled warningly once more. Perhaps taking a step forward had been a bad idea.

It was the second growl that woke Merlin, who was on his feet in an instant. The first thing he said was not at all what Gwaine expected.

"Aithusa! _Gwaine's_ not a bandit!" His voice contained such high levels of petulance that Gwaine had to valiantly struggle not to laugh.

When he'd finally mastered himself he gasped "Merlin, oh Merlin, _please_ explain that!"

"Oh, well…" Merlin began awkwardly and then restarted. "I wanted to have a nap so I told Aithusa to stand guard and watch for bandits, and well, it seems she thought _you_ were one."

"Aithusa is the Dragon's name?" Gwaine checked.

"Yes"

"A Dragon nobody knew existed?"

"Maybe"

"I thought you threw that fit as an excuse to get away from Arthur!"

"Not exactly, _somebody_ thought it would be a good idea to visit me in broad daylight! Although getting away from Arthur _was_ a bit of a bonus."

"Where exactly did she come from?"

"Remember that quest we went on to destroy a Dragon egg?"

"The tower collapsed on it"

"No, I _told_ everyone the tower collapsed on it"

Gwaine blinked. "That's why you were gone when we awoke. Did you put us all to sleep?"

"How would I have done that?" Merlin asked warily.

Right! He hadn't confronted Merlin about the magic. Oh well there's got to be a first time for everything, may as well be now. "It was pretty obvious that our sleep wasn't natural. Obvious to me anyway, and I figured a powerful young Dragonlord like yourself ought to know a few good sleeping spells." Gwaine clarified flippantly.

Merlin closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Eyes still closed he seemed to come to a decision and asked "how long have you known about the magic?"

* * *

Merlin opened his eyes cautiously to see Gwaine sauntering further into the clearing and setting himself down on the forest floor. Once Merlin had followed suit, Gwaine began to speak.

"_Known_ is a strong word. I prefer 'guessed' or 'assumed'."

Merlin sighed. "Fine then, when did you guess?"

Gwaine seemed pleased that Merlin wasn't denying anything. Nor did he seem at all bothered by the prospect of Merlin having magic. It was more than Merlin had ever dared to hope for.

"Well I thought that there was definitely something fishy about the Fisher King but I didn't really put two and two together until you reminded Arthur and me that if it were not for that _beautifully_ timed fire we would all be 'pushing up daisies'. Thank you very much for that by the way. Someday we'll have to let Arthur know that it was actually _you_ who won that little contest."

To say that Merlin was astonished was an understatement. But all he could say as his left hand subconsciously rubbed soothing circles at the base of Aithusa's skull was "something fishy about the Fisher King? Seriously, that's the best you can come up with?"

"Why Merlin I am affronted! I thought it was incredibly witty."

"To a drunk, yes I suppose it would be!" Merlin grinned.

"Is that why you refuse to get drunk? You're afraid of what'll happen magic-wise when you let your guard down?" Gwaine asked serious now.

"I'm not your average sorcerer. I'm actually a warlock. Magic is instinctive for me, I've been able to move objects with my mind since I was born."

"So basically if you got drunk, _anything_ could happen?" Gwaine bounced excitedly.

"That speech was supposed to deter you from trying to get me drunk, _Gwaine_! But seriously, you don't care that I have magic?"

"Of course I care!" Ignoring Merlin's crestfallen look he continued "If it weren't for your magic, I'd be bloody dead! Ten times over at least."

Gwaine thought that if Merlin's grin got any wider his face would break, time to burst the bubble a bit.

"How come you told Lancelot and not me?" He asked narrowing his eyes. The whole 'warning bell' incident had rather tipped Gwaine off.

"If you guessed all that time ago why did you never confront me about it?"

"Figured you'd tell me yourself when you were ready."

"You probably should have confronted me. I'm so used to keeping secrets to keep my head that I doubt I'll ever _voluntarily_ tell _anyone_."

"You mean Lancelot _guessed_?"

"Apparently glowing blue flames on the end of one's lance are a bit hard to miss."

Gwaine couldn't hold in the hysterics this time.

There was silence for a moment, before Merlin restarted the conversation with "please don't tell anyone about Aithusa, at least not until I can get her safely to Elfrael. She doesn't understand the need to remain hidden yet, but I swear to you she has a good heart and would never hurt anyone."

Gwaine studied Merlin's face for a while. It was the picture of desperation. "That's why you're so keen to get to Elfrael isn't it? You don't give a damn about politics or diplomacy, you're just trying to get you're young Dragon friend to safety."

"I care about diplomacy! It's just not that important. I mean they've gotten along just fine the last twenty-something years without me."

"I'm not going to out Aithusa to anybody Merlin" Gwaine said slowly. The look of sheer relief and joy on Merlin's face was enough to render anybody speechless. Anybody except Gwaine and it killed him to have to burst Merlin's bubble but it had to be said. There was something glaringly obvious that Merlin had clearly missed.

"But I just don't see how you're going to get her to Elfrael. After dismissing Ethan this morning you've absolutely no idea where he's gone or how to contact him."

Merlin's grin was patronizing. "Your brilliant Gwaine, absolutely brilliant, but sometimes, sometimes you can be as dense as Arthur!" Gwaine resented that statement!

"Do you remember when I asked Gwen for some parchment this morning?"

Oh. Well maybe he deserved it after all. "You gave him a time and a place to meet?"

"Yep!"

"Can I come?"

"I'm not really sure you want to." Merlin said slowly "The Dragons we'll be meeting up with are an _awful_ lot bigger than Aithusa."

"They don't call me Strength for nothing!"

"I believe the virtue you'll be requiring is courage."

"You want _Arthur_ to come?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then why'd you say-"

"I meant courage in the literal sense!"

"Oh. So can I come?"

"Fine, meet me outside the Southern Gates tonight at Midnight."

"Right, we should probably be heading back to Camelot."

"Erm"

"_Merlin?_"

"I'm kind of babysitting at the moment. Dragons that are bigger than houses can't travel in daylight without attracting a lot of attention. I'll be by the Southern Gates at Midnight I promise. _Don't_ bring Arthur!"

"Right. What do you want me to tell him about this afternoon?"

"Tell him I'm still super upset so I'll be making myself scarce till the morning."

"A perfectly sound excuse, much better than the tavern!"

"I still can't believe he fell for that."

"Oh that reminds me" Gwaine said moving towards his horse, "He wanted me to tell you he was sorry, said you'd know what for."

"Tell him I said thanks." Merlin replied softly with a small smile.

"I will." Gwaine said mounting his horse and with that he began to canter back in the direction of Camelot.

The first thing he saw on entering the courtyard was Arthur sitting forlornly on the steps. Hearing the horse, Arthur's head snapped up and fear appeared in his eyes almost instantaneously.

"Where's Merlin!"

"Relax Princess. He's safe enough for the moment." Gwaine replied calmly as he dismounted and handed his reins to a waiting stable boy.

"Why haven't you brought him back, is he injured?"

"Nothing of the sort, he's still rather upset. Though he's calmed down some since I talked to him."

"Did you tell him I apologised?"

"I did and he said to tell you thanks and he'll be there to wake you bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Oh." was all Arthur said before turning and walking back up the castle steps, his shoulders slumped.

* * *

**Aw poor Arthur! This chapter was a lot longer than I was planning, Gwaine and Merlin just didn't want to shut up.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story! It definitely encourages me to update sooner.**

**Can't wait to hear from you!**


	9. Chapter 9

Once Gwaine had disappeared from view, Merlin resumed lying on his back in the soft grass, only just having sufficient time to murmur to Aithusa about bandits and keeping him warm before drifting off into a deep and dreamless sleep.

When he awoke it was nearing dusk. "Play!" squawked Aithusa.

"Oh all right" Merlin groaned, sighing as he hauled himself to his feet.

"Catch!" He cried as he launched a fireball into the air, needing no words to cast the magic.

Aithusa squealed in delight as she launched herself into the air and snapped up the fireball in her jaws before it succeeded in plummeting toward the earth. They continued this game for nigh on two hours before it began to grow dark.

Merlin conjured several glowing orbs, much like the one he had used to guide Arthur all those years ago. (Not that he remembered doing it. He'd had to attempt several incantations before Gaius had managed to identify a particular orb as the one he'd conjured that night.)

Unfortunately for him, Aithusa seemed to think that the game had moved on from fireballs, promptly snapping them all up.

"Aithusa" he sighed in exasperation, "Just because I'm a Dragonlord doesn't mean I have a Dragon's eyesight! Play time is finished anyway. We're waiting for Kilgarrah now."

Aithusa, feeling suitably chastised, landed near his feet and settled herself on the ground to wait. Satisfied that he'd gotten through to her, Merlin once again muttered "Leoht" several times and with a few flicks of his wrist stationed the glowing balls of light he had conjured at various spots in the clearing, whilst making sure to keep one in his hand.

Approximately three hours after night had fallen, Kilgarrah landed in the clearing. His attention immediately focused on Aithusa. "Little One, you should not have wandered from the cave in which we sought shelter. Especially not during daylight hours, had you been seen you would surely have been attacked. How are we to live if I cannot rest for fear of you wandering off? All of this pales in light of the inconvenience you have caused your Dragonlord! I am yet to determine a suitable punishment for you, but I assure you, the consequences of your actions this day will be _severe_."

"Young Warlock" Kilgarrah continued apologetically, turning his attention on Merlin, "I am indebted to you for the assistance you have provided this day. I will be sure to discipline Aithusa to such a degree that she shall not attempt such a fool's errand in future."

"You needn't be too hard on her Kilgarrah. She's only young and she'll learn in time. Besides, I believe I've happened upon a solution to this little problem of ours which I shall tell you of later. Will you meet me here tonight at Midnight? I met someone this morning who I'd like you and Aithusa to meet. He told me a fascinating tale about my father… and you."

"I have to say, I can't wait to hear the _wonderful_ explanation you've got for having lied to me for all these years." Merlin finished in a tone that was rather threatening in its quietness.

"We shall await your arrival Young Warlock. I only hope that I can appease the rage I sense in your heart." Kilgarrah replied bowing his head, knowing from Merlin's tone that although the summons had been phrased as a question, it was no request.

Merlin nodded his acknowledgement and went to mount his horse, extinguishing as he went, all conjured lights save for the one in his hand. There were still a few hours until midnight, which gave him time to explain things to Gaius and then check the tavern. He knew that Gwaine would never forgive him if he missed meeting the Dragons because Merlin had failed to drag him out of the tavern.

It was still early evening when he entered the physician's chambers. Even after all these years he still could not believe how easy it was to sneak past the guards. He didn't even have to use magic that time!

"Merlin!" Gaius exclaimed.

Oh dear. What had he done this time?

"Would you care to explain your behaviour earlier today when you stormed out of the council chambers? And where on earth have you been all this time? Gwaine returned _hours_ ago! Why do you insist on being the death of an old man?"

Merlin sighed. He probably deserved that.

"I'm sorry Gaius. I should have had Gwaine explain things to you. Kilgarrah dragged me out of that meeting to deal with Aithusa. Apparently she was taking our temporary separation a little harder than I was. I had to stay until nightfall because there weren't enough clouds for Kilgarrah to travel in the daylight without being seen. But don't worry it won't happen again because I plan to take her to Elfrael and have her raised there. She'll miss me I'm sure, just as I'll miss her, but there'll be other Dragonlords to fill the hole in her heart and the situation is unlikely to be permanent. Besides once she's reached a certain level of maturity she'll be safe enough in Albion."

After all these years Merlin should have been expecting Gaius' reaction. He should have realised that Gaius, ever the pessimist, would find something in Merlin's speech to be unhappy about.

"_Gwaine_ knows about Aithusa?" he hissed.

"Don't worry, he won't tell anyone."

"Except the whole tavern!" Gaius exclaimed, incredulous.

"Good point. I'd better go pull him out of there. Oh and Gaius, I've got to meet Ethan and the Dragons at midnight. I've no idea how long it's going to take so don't wait up for me."

"You'll be wanting some supper before you go. You've not eaten since lunch!"

"Oh. Yes, you're right, I suppose I haven't" Merlin said and instantly regretted it, having realised he'd just set himself up for another lecture.

It was an hour and a half before Gaius had finished with him. His stomach was full to bursting and his ears still ringing from the verbal bashing that had been inflicted upon them. There were still two hours to go before he had to meet Ethan, plenty of time to search The Rising Sun for any signs of Gwaine.

It didn't take long for Merlin to spot Gwaine once he'd entered the tavern. He was sitting at a table by himself, sipping at a tankard whilst staring at a wall as though said wall could not have done more to offend him if it had been King Caerleon himself, returned from the dead. Nothing new really, Merlin thought to himself.

He'd only just sat down across from Gwaine when the tavern keeper bustled over. "What'll it be Merlin, I've not seen you in my tavern for some time!" the man exclaimed boisterously.

"Nothing for me Richard, I'm here to keep Sir Gwaine out of trouble, King's orders!" Merlin replied grinning infectiously.

"'Bout time 'is 'ighness chose to do sumthin 'bout it!" Richard declared.

"I'll have him out of here in an hour or so" Merlin promised.

"You're a good lad Merlin." And with that Richard moved on to serve some other guests.

"So Gwaine, I couldn't help but notice you glaring at the wall earlier. Did it do something to offend you, or has your mind been otherwise engaged? You know, if you've changed your mind about meeting my friends, you don't have to come, I'll be perfectly safe on my own."

"Has anyone ever told you Merlin? I couldn't help but notice it when Richard walked over. You speak awfully well for a peasant."

Merlin felt like he'd been slapped. "Are you telling me we can't be friends anymore because I've just been outed as a noble? That's rather hypocritical of you, you know." He replied rising as if to leave and making no effort to mask the hurt in his voice.

"Merlin, Merlin wait!" Gwaine cried desperately, a horrified expression crossing his face. "That's not what I meant! It was just an observation." Merlin sat back down eyeing him coldly.

"I'm sorry." Gwaine whispered.

Merlin sighed. It was beyond petty to hold a grudge against an intoxicated man for something he said without thinking. "I know and you're forgiven. Though I feel compelled to inform you that in my defense not every peasant struggles with coherency. Gwen and Elyan didn't acquire the gift of speech overnight when their status was elevated you know. They were already more than capable of speaking the 'King's English'. Besides my mother always believed I was destined for things greater than the life of a farmer. I'd always thought it was an indirect reference to my, well you know," Merlin trailed of not wanting to mention 'Magic' in such a public place. "But now I've realised that what she was probably getting at was that she knew more about my father than she was letting on."

"Now tell me," he said pointing over his shoulder as he spoke "what on earth did that wall do to you?"

"Nothing really, I was just bored waiting for midnight to come around and I guess my thoughts started to wander."

"You looked pretty torn up about something."

"I'm just fed up with the Princess and his never-ending self-pity. He's acting like somebody died all because you're refusing to spill the beans. It's pathetic! He has no right to expect you be forthcoming about something like this."

"Gwaine" Merlin sighed. "In Arthur's defense he doesn't actually know what my secret is; all he's managed to deduce is that it is probably in breach of one or more of Camelot's laws. That's why he's offered me clemency. The offer's there because he couldn't care less about the fact that I broke the law. What he cares about is that I never confided in him."

"Arthur's told me every secret he's ever had. He's come to me with every problem he's struggled to solve. And I'm the first person he looks to when there's a battle he must face. The fact that I clearly haven't reciprocated that level of trust is hurting him."

* * *

Gwaine couldn't believe this. Merlin was actually defending the prat. It was officially possible to take loyalty too far! If ever there was a person to demonstrate that concept, it was Merlin.

But there was something Gwaine didn't understand.

"If you're not afraid he'll retract his offer of clemency then what are you afraid of? Why haven't you told him your secret?"

"I'm afraid of losing his friendship. I'm afraid of losing his trust, though it seems I've lost that already. I'm afraid he'll treat me differently. More than anything, I'm terrified that he'll fear me. I fear that if I tell him, he'll look into my eyes and see a monster." Merlin whispered in a heart-broken voice.

"That's why you never voluntarily tell anybody? It isn't because you fear death. It's because you fear the prejudice that's built up against magic?"

"Don't get me wrong. When Uther was around I had plenty of nightmares about burning. But nowadays I'd like to think that Arthur would pardon me. If he didn't it wouldn't be a huge problem. I'm powerful enough to be able to save myself."

"You know the longer you leave it, Arthur's reaction is only going to get worse. If you're going to trust him with this, you should do it sooner rather than later."

"I know."

"There's something I still don't understand. You've stayed in Camelot all these years, with the threat of execution looming over your head simply to protect Arthur. How did he earn such loyalty from you?"

"He's one of the closest and dearest friends I have. Although I'll admit that at the start I was simply doing my job. There's an ancient prophecy about the Once and Future King and-"

"Emrys?"

"You've heard of it?"

"When one travels for as long as I did one hears of these things. So let me get this straight, Arthur's this king and you're Emrys?"

"Emrys is the Druid translation of Ambrosius." Merlin replied by way of explanation.

"Ha!" Gwaine succumbed to another fit of hysterics at this. "You can't have been impressed when that Ethan fellow addressed you as 'Lord Ambrosius' this morning!"

Merlin sighed. "Yes, yes the potential destruction of destiny is really quite hilarious." He snapped. "We should be going, I don't want to keep Ethan waiting, or Kilgarrah for that matter."

* * *

**I'm sorry I took longer to update this time. It was a combination of a virus and writer's block. I meant to fit the dragon meeting into this chapter but the whole thing turned out to be a lot longer than I originally thought it would be.**

**I can't say I'm very excited about this chapter, but hopefully you'll all see it differently.**

**As always, Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

As they left the tavern, Gwaine put a hand on Merlin's shoulder to hold him in place. "Merlin, we're going to have to come with a credible excuse for why we're leaving the city walls at this hour. We're bound to run into some guards at some point and we want them to let us out without causing a scene."

Merlin just stared at him, his expression incredulous, before he seemed to realise that his friend was serious. "You know, Gwaine, you seem to have an awfully high opinion of Camelot's guards. So much so that it pains me to have to be the one to break it to you. I sneak past them almost every night. _In fact_, I had to do it to get back into the citadel earlier this evening."

Judging by Merlin's raucous laughter, Gwaine's expression was truly something to behold. "They've never caught you?"

"Perhaps tonight will be their lucky night." Merlin answered with a mischievous grin.

When they came to the first patrol of guards, Gwaine turned to glance pointedly at Merlin. How were they supposed to _sneak_ past _that_ many men across open ground without being seen?

Merlin placed a finger to his lips and motioned for them to press back against the wall of the alley they were in. Then glancing in the direction of some barrels several yards away, his eyes flashed gold, and the barrels began to roll in the opposite direction to the one they were headed. At once, the entire patrol set off in the direction of the barrels.

Gwaine watched them go, absolutely appalled. Then he turned to Merlin, who had placed a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. "I hardly think this is funny!" Gwaine hissed.

"You're right, it's not." Merlin replied in a whisper, "and I promise you that as soon as I no longer have a need to move around Camelot undetected, I will to bring the issue to Arthur's immediate attention."

Gwaine had the strangest feeling that Merlin was mocking him.

Merlin dealt with all subsequent patrols with similar deceptions, moving objects, loud noises, doors opening of their own accord, Gwaine _could not_ understand how these guards could _be_ so gullible.

Quicker than he would have thought possible they reached the Southern Gates and with it their final challenge. Half a dozen guards stood watch there. Merlin resorted to his usual tricks and succeeded in getting rid of five, the last guard, stubbornly refusing to fall for his tricks.

To his left, Gwaine heard Merlin curse softly. "Why's _Elyan_ patrolling the gates? And why isn't he _moving?_" he hissed.

* * *

It wasn't usually down to the Knights to patrol the city gates, but a recent bout of the sweating sickness had left the guards short-handed. So Elyan had graciously volunteered his services (after a few significant looks from Gwen, it was true) and now here he was patrolling the Southern Gates.

It had all gone rather quietly for the first few hours. But as midnight was nigh approaching some rather odd things began to happen. First was an incredibly loud bang to the east. The captain of the guard, a man by the name of Simeon, sent two of his men to investigate. (Elyan despite being the highest ranking member of the patrol was not giving the orders this evening as he and Gwen felt it would be unwise to usurp the captain, even if the situation _was_ temporary.)

Next some barrels to Elyan's left came unstuck and began to roll away. The captain of the guard sent his other two men to investigate that. This was when Elyan first grew suspicious. He was facing north, which mean that to his left was west. First the east and then the west, _someone _was trying to distract them from their post. Such an elaborate scheme would require multiple people, and the possible motives for such an endeavour were making Elyan nervous.

It was at that point that the doors of the watch house up on the battlements began to start banging. "I think we should say here" Elyan told the captain seriously, speaking up for the first time. "Someone's trying to get us to abandon our post."

It would seem he and Gwen had been right. _Captain Simeon_ was not accustomed to taking orders. "You stay here then!" Simeon snapped. "I'll go and see what's going on."

And then there was one he thought nervously. Elyan studiously ignored several loud bangs sounding from various directions, refusing to display the same level of gullibility as the other members of the patrol. Arthur was very, very lucky he'd volunteered tonight, he thought to himself grimly.

It was at that moment that a sudden gust of wind took out all the torches. Sorcery! _Why_ did it always have to be sorcery? He supposed that this meant one person could be behind the whole thing. How embarrassing! But what was their purpose here? Why were they trying to break _out_ of Camelot? Unless they'd already achieved what they'd set out to do…

Suddenly he heard a movement to his right. Sensing more than seeing the figure he placed his sword at their neck and said "Halt. Who goes there?"

There was an exasperated sigh before the person he'd apprehended spoke up saying "Put that away Elyan, you're attacking an unarmed man."

"_Merlin?"_

"Yes me, who else?"

"Were you using magic to do all that?"

"And if I was?" Merlin enquired in a wary tone of voice.

"I suppose I'd like to know _why_?" Elyan hinted.

"I need to go out those gates." Merlin stated, pointing at the gates in question.

"Yes I figured that part out all on my own, now tell me _why_."

"Elyan" Gwaine put in from behind him "Don't you think we interrogated the man enough this morning?"

"Aiaie!" Elyan yelped. "Gwaine what the hell are you doing here?"

"Sorry mate, didn't mean to frighten you."

"I couldn't talk him out of following me so he's coming too." Merlin supplied, as vague as ever.

"And where _exactly_ are you going Merlin?"

"Out, I need to have a word with the Great Dragon."

"_You what?"_ Elyan gasped.

"Gwaine, I did tell everyone I was a Dragonlord this morning, didn't I? I wasn't imagining it?"

Gwaine snickered softly. "Yes, yes you told them."

"Then why, _Elyan_, are you so shocked?"

Elyan decided it was time to drop it. "I'll let you two leave on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You explain everything, and I mean _everything_ tomorrow."

"Okay!" Merlin replied cheerily, strolling past him.

* * *

Once they were out of sight Merlin muttered "Leoht" and the bluish/whitish ball of light he'd grown so fond of appeared in his palm.

"That's a neat trick you've got there." Gwaine said grinning.

"So you weren't impressed by any of those tricks I used to distract the guards, but you like my ball of light?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just a little strange." Merlin mused as he stopped and used his mind to instruct the orb to rise several feet above their heads. "Ethan should be meeting us here any moment now."

A few minutes later they saw another ball of light, identical to Merlin's in every respect except that instead of being blue, it boasted a pale green light instead.

"Yours is a different colour to mine," Merlin said pointing to Ethan's light once he'd approached curiosity evident in his tone, "why is that?"

"No one knows for certain," Ethan replied as Merlin began to lead them in the direction of the clearing, "but my father theorises that the colour of your light reflects your personality. Others say it is an echo of the person's aura."

Merlin considered that for a moment. "I have an electric blue aura? That is _so_ cool! But if these are our aura colours, why is there white light swirling in there with it?" He asked as he stared up at his orb that was now keeping pace with him.

Ethan laughed lightly at Merlin's enthusiasm. "It's just a theory My Lord, though if you must have an answer, perhaps the white light is representative of our magic. After all there is noticeably more white light in your orb than there is in mine and I do not think my assumption that you are in possession of stronger magic than I would be an unreasonable one, especially when one considers the prophecies." He answered in a wry tone.

"Perhaps" Merlin agreed with a wry smile of his own.

"My Lord?", Ethan asked, seeming to only have just noticed Gwaine walking with them.

"Yes Ethan?"

"Why have you brought a Knight of Camelot with you? I thought they feared our kind."

"Who? What?" Merlin asked in confusion as he spun in a circle. "Oh you mean Gwaine? You needn't worry about him; he seems to have a bit of a fetish for Dragons, couldn't talk him out of coming!"

"And how exactly do you feel about magic?" Ethan asked Gwaine warily.

"Merlin has magic, I have a sword, and you, apparently, have both," was Gwaine's cryptic response.

Ethan blinked. "According to your laws, what you said could be likened to harbouring a sorcerer and is bordering on treason."

"You're not from around here so you're probably not aware of how much of a push over the King is. The worst Arthur could bring himself to do is banish me and even that's not a decision he can stick to! Besides, in this case, ignorance is bliss for the Princess."

"The Princess?"

"That's Gwaine's nickname for the prat. I mean Arthur. Ugh! I mean _King_ Arthur."

This time it was Ethan in hysterics. "Who exactly is running Camelot?" He managed to wheeze out between fits of laughter.

"I am" was Merlin's smug reply.

Having seemingly recovered from his former mirth, Ethan struck up another conversation. "My Lord, did you have a chance to read my father's letter? Have you given any further thought as to whether or not you will accompany me back to Elfrael?"

Merlin was silent for a moment as they walked, considering how best to phrase his answer. "I fully intend to come with you Ethan. Indeed there are a number of reasons why I feel I must accept. However, I also have important duties here, which cannot be delegated and until I can work out some sort of compromise, I'm afraid my departure date and the duration of my stay remains somewhat uncertain."

"I understand, My Lord." Ethan replied solemnly.

"It is also best, for the sake of appearances that I obtain Arthur's permission and his blessing for this little trip. After all, I'm supposed to be his servant." Merlin tacked on meeting Ethan's gaze with one of his trademark smiles.

Ethan returned the smile with a cheeky "Oh yes, _heaven forbid_ you do something without the King's knowledge or permission!"

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "How long have your Scryers been watching me?"

"Long enough to witness you saving that ungrateful Kingdom more times than they can count!" exclaimed Ethan.

Merlin sighed. "I don't do it for the recognition. Come, we're nearly there." He continued, stepping up the pace.

* * *

The three of them entered the clearing together to find Aithusa and Kilgarrah waiting for them. Ethan couldn't believe what he was seeing! The only Dragon he had expected to speak to that night was Niall. But here were two Dragons before him whom he was certain he had never met!

The large bronze Dragon, he suspected, was the Great Dragon, Kilgarrah. But surely he was dead? Every man, woman, child and Dragon had mourned his passing, along with that of Lord Balinor. Was it possible the scryers had been mistaken? It was then that he recalled that they had not seen Merlin land the killing blow. They had only seen him lunge forward with his lance. It was because they had not been able to see so much as one of the Great Dragon's scales since that fateful vision that they were forced to conclude that what they had witnessed earlier was in fact in incomplete depiction of the killing blow.

But the young white Dragon, who was she? White Dragons were indeed a rare occurrence. They had long been viewed as the embodiment of hope. Judging by her size, she could not have been hatched more than two years ago, and even two years was generous. But where had Merlin found a Dragon egg? This was after all the only logical explanation for the sight before him.

"Ethan, Gwaine, allow me to introduce you to Kilgarrah. Now Aithusa, I know you've already met Gwaine but I'd like you to show a little courtesy to Ethan. After all, he's going to be a Dragonlord himself someday and when that day comes, you'll need to follow his orders as well as mine." The sound of Merlin speaking his name had Ethan snapping back to attention.

Aithusa bounded forwards toward Ethan and executing a clumsy bow squeaked "Pleased!"

Ethan bowed to Aithusa and in turn replied "as am I, young Dragon, as am I." before turning to Kilgarrah.

Having graced Kilgarrah with a respectful bow, he began to speak. "Great Dragon, I cannot tell you how overjoyed I am to see you here alive and well. Our Scryers, several years past, undertook the solemn duty of informing the people of your death. Though it gladdens my heart to see that they were mistaken I must ask, why is it that when they attempted to scry you, you were hidden from their Sight? We believed the reason that you could not be seen was because you were no longer living."

"Ethan son of Bertram, this is indeed a rare pleasure. I fear I cannot provide an adequate answer to dispel your confusion. I can only surmise that the difficulty in scrying me has been in some way connected to the protective magic cast on the Isle of Elfrael and its many unintended consequences."

* * *

"All this time you knew." Tears could be heard in Merlin's voice and there was a look of utter betrayal on his face. "You knew that scores of my kin were out there living on a magical island named after my family and YOU ACTUALLY HAD THE _NERVE_ TO TELL ME I WAS THE LAST OF MY KIND! Do you have _any_ idea how alone I felt." Tear tracks were now plainly visible on Merlin's face. "I'd just lost my father Kilgarrah, _my father!_"

* * *

**Dun dun dun, Merlin the drama queen. Although, to be fair, he's kind of earned it.**

**It would seem that Gwaine and Elyan are a bit underwhelmed by Camelot's guards.**

**I was originally going to include more in this chapter, but it's proving difficult to write (probably because my stomach hates me) and I figured you've all been waiting long enough for an update!**

**Massive thank-you's to everyone who's read/reviewed/favourited/followed this story! Over 4000 hits so far. :)**

**As always, please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

"I wasn't even allowed to _mourn_ my father's death, for fear of revealing my parentage to Uther! And then! AND THEN! As if to add insult to injury, I lost Lancelot when the veil was torn, the only friend from whom I need not keep any secrets. And still you said _nothing_ of Elfrael!"

"It was supposed to be me! I was supposed to walk through that veil! I am _sick_ and _tired_ of having to watch people die for me. Well? What do you have to say for yourself _O Great Dragon_? And don't you DARE spout some nonsense about how I have you and Gaius. I realise you're not human, but even _you_ should know it's not the same!"

To say that Gwaine was shocked by Merlin's outburst was an understatement of similar proportions to 'Arthur is stubborn'. The shock he felt was quickly followed by guilt. He'd thought he'd been doing the right thing by waiting for Merlin to come clean in his own time. But Merlin had needed a friend, a friend he didn't have to keep secrets from. He'd needed a replacement Lancelot and Gwaine had let him down. Gwaine's wallowing came to an abrupt halt as it was interrupted by the Dragon's response.

"Young Warlock, I beg you to hear all I have to say without interruption. You may say whatever you wish when I am finished." Came Kilgarrah's impassioned plea.

"Agreed," Merlin replied in a stern voice.

"I will first address the tearing of the veil. Please know that my heart bleeds every time I watch you mourn your noble friend. But what he did was his choice and his right. Had he failed to stop you from sacrificing yourself, Albion would have been destroyed before it had ever been born. For without you, Merlin, Albion can never come to pass. Nor could this dream have been realised had the burden of healing the veil fallen to the Once and Future King. I understand that you needed a hatch-mate similar to your own age in which to confide, but with Camelot's laws being as they stand, the risks of revealing yourself have been _and are_ simply too great."

During the Dragon's speech, Gwaine could see Merlin visibly deflate, his anger leaving him. That boy was simply incapable of holding a grudge!

"I understand." Merlin replied in a weary voice. "But you have not yet explained why you have said nothing of Elfrael."

"False hope has the power to be the undoing of even the greatest of men." Kilgarrah replied sagely. "Until this very night I had no knowledge that it would even be possible to lower the protective enchantments that had previously transformed Elfrael into an inescapable prison for all who inhabited the Isle. I could not bear to tell you of our ancestral home for fear it may raise your hopes of someday meeting your kin, only to have those hopes cruelly dashed when you were forced to potentially wait years for the destruction of an enchantment that perhaps may never have been broken. If I have wronged you in this then I can only beg your forgiveness. Please believe me when I say that I acted with the best of intentions."

* * *

Merlin heaved a sigh. "You're forgiven. I'm sorry I lost my temper, I was out of line."

"Nay Young Warlock, you had every right to speak as you did."

"Be that as it may" Merlin said quickly to avoid birthing another argument, "we need to talk about Elfrael. I have agreed to accompany Ethan as there is simply a never-ending list of reasons why I need to go. Top of the list being Aithusa, she can't stay in Albion. Today was proof enough of that."

"But before we even start talking logistics, is it safe for me to go, for me to leave Albion unguarded?"

"I agree that it is necessary that you must go. However, the witch remains a threat. Before you leave you must devise a way to enable trusted citizens of Camelot to warn you should a threat to the Kingdom arise. An obvious choice would be Gaius. It would also be prudent for you to leave Gaius with some method of contacting _me_. As long as I am here in Albion, I am willing to come to the aid of the Kingdom."

"But, Kilgarrah, aren't you going to have to come with us? Aithusa is young, what if she tires on the journey to Elfrael? Niall will already be burdened with Ethan, I, and any supplies that we will need to take."

"It was Niall who brought you?" Kilgarrah asked looking at Ethan with new interest, "I would dearly love to converse with him again. Perhaps we should wait for his arrival before this discussion continues any further."

"Very well," Merlin replied. "Ethan, are you able to speak the Dragon tongue or will that only happen when your father passes? Forgive me if I sound ignorant, but I know very little of my heritage."

"I can speak it, but the Dragons are under no obligation to heed my call."

"Will Niall answer you or would you like me to call him?"

"You needn't trouble yourself, he will answer me." Ethan replied serenely before throwing back his head to roar at the sky. "O drakon, Niall, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!"

Gwaine let out a startled yelp and leapt backwards. Merlin couldn't help but snicker at his reaction. "I have to admit, it sounds a hell of a lot creepier coming from someone else!"

Moments later, a large Dragon (though not as large as Kilgarrah) landed in the clearing. Bending his neck so that he was at eye level with Ethan, he rumbled in a deep voice "Hatchling, why do you seek an audience?"

Ethan bowed low before replying. "Niall, I thank you for heeding my call. I am joined by Lord Ambrosius, Aithusa, the Great Dragon Kilgarrah and Sir Gwaine of Camelot. We thought you should be present whilst the journey home is discussed."

Niall immediately rose to his full height and twisted his neck so as to face Kilgarrah. "Great Dragon, when I circled this grove from above I could scarcely believe what my instincts and senses knew to be true. How is it that you escaped the wrath of your Lord?"

"Young Niall, I did not escape anything. I was fortunate enough to be granted clemency. I have been doing everything in my power since that day to prove myself worthy of the gift."

Bending his head once more, Niall addressed Merlin. "Lord Ambrosius, I am honoured to meet you on this eve and I thank you with the deepest sincerity for sparing the life of my kin."

"You are most welcome Niall. I am truly honoured to meet you as well. Indeed until this morning, I believed Kilgarrah and Aithusa to be the only two dragons in existence! Never have I been so happy to be proven wrong!" Merlin cried unable to wipe the grin off his face.

"Tell me Young Lord, why have you brought a Knight of Camelot with you? With whom does his loyalty lie?"

"Sir Gwaine is a dear friend of mine. I brought him with me because his keen sense of adventure had rendered him desperate to meet some Dragons. As for his loyalties, I should let him speak for himself."

* * *

Gwaine was fed up with this! Just because he wore a bright red cloak with a shiny gold Dragon on it didn't mean he was Uther! But that arrogant, over-sized, forest-green lizard was still waiting for an answer...

"If it comes down to a choice between Merlin and Camelot, you can be sure of me choosing Merlin." He said politely and with conviction. He wondered if Ethan's scabbard had been deliberately crafted to match the scales of the Dragon or if it was a coincidence. Focus Gwaine!

After studying Gwaine long enough to make him want to fidget (an urge which he did not succumb to!), Niall replied, "Very well, I am satisfied, we may begin to discuss travel arrangements for the return journey. I trust you will be accompanying us Lord Ambrosius?"

"I will."

"Excellent. Besides myself and Ethan, who else will be among the travelling party?"

"I wish to bring Aithusa, Albion is becoming dangerous for her, and the chances of her being sighted multiply daily. I also wish to relocate my mother. She has lived a hard life in our village and deserves a respite. On top of that, I feel there are dark days coming and I do not want her to be caught in the fray. For this reason, Kilgarrah must accompany us as I do not wish three humans and a young Dragon to be a burden that you must bear alone."

It didn't escape Gwaine that his name had not been mentioned anywhere in that little speech. Ah well, he thought to himself attempting to smother his hurt and disappointment, at least he'd gotten to meet these noble beasts, that ought to be enough for him. He and Merlin could have plenty of adventures when Merlin got back. He continued to attempt to cheer himself up in this way.

"Niall, Kilgarrah, how many people can you safely transport such a distance?" Ethan asked. "Would it be wise to send for another of your kin?"

"One of us must remain unburdened in case Aithusa tires." Kilgarrah stated gravely. "It would be unwise to be carrying any humans or supplies in that situation, as landing on a Dragon's back in mid-flight is not the easiest of manoeuvres."

"I do not have the necessary endurance to bear Aithusa and as for humans, over such a distance, I could only safely transport two at most if I am also to be burdened with supplies." Niall added.

"Kilgarrah, are you able to summon another?" Merlin asked.

"I believe Aeris would be both willing and able to carry three humans in addition to supplies. What say you Niall?"

"Let us summon her." Niall replied before both he and Kilgarrah craned their necks toward the sky and roared.

Gwaine was quick to clap his hands over his ears, certain that he had been moments from losing his hearing altogether and was shocked to realise that neither Merlin nor Ethan had made a move to do the same. Instead they were looking up at the Dragons with smiles on their faces. Could they not hear how loud it was? Aithusa was zipping round the clearing to hyper to stay still any longer, little growls punctuating her excitement. Then as soon as it began, it was over.

Lowering their heads once more, Kilgarrah addressed Merlin. "Aeris is already winging her way here. However, the journey is a long one, even for a Dragon. Do not expect her to arrive before the sun reaches high noon for the second time. This should give you ample opportunity to make the necessary arrangements for your extended absence from Camelot."

"Thank you Kilgarrah. I have one more favour to ask." Merlin began as Gwaine slowly removed his hands from his ears. It would seem that none of that roaring had had any effect on Merlin's hearing whatsoever.

"Proceed, Young Warlock."

"Will you fly me to Ealdor tonight, so that I may bring my mother to Camelot?"

"_I am not a horse Merlin!_"

"I'm very glad to hear it, because I need to be back in time to rouse Arthur and a horse would take _days_!"

As dense as it was to laugh at a Dragon, neither Gwaine nor Ethan could help it. In fact, Gwaine was almost certain that Merlin's comeback had to be one of the funniest things he'd ever heard. He was treating this Dragon just like he treated Arthur!

"Very well, but _do not_ make a habit of this!"

"I wouldn't dream of it. Niall, would you be able and willing to look after Aithusa in our absence?"

"I would be honoured to be trusted with such a task."

"Thank you" Merlin breathed, his relieved tone conveying just how much he meant it. "Ethan, I don't suppose you'd mind helping Gwaine sneak back into the Citadel? I'm not sure if Elyan's still on duty and if he were to run into a random guard, explanations could get awkward."

"Consider it done, My Lord."

"Thank you Ethan. Oh and one more thing," Merlin began, as he climbed onto Kilgarrah's back. "Can you speak with your mind? It might help with organising future meetings."

"I can, I shall wait for you to contact me." Ethan replied.

"Very well, until we meet again Ethan."

"Until we meet again, fair winds Merlin."

"I'll see you in the morning Gwaine!"

"You'd better believe it Merlin!" Gwaine shouted and with that, Kilgarrah took off into the sky.

Niall having uttered "Come, hatchling" in the direction of Aithusa, was quick to disappear as well with the young Dragon in tow.

* * *

**Wow that was a hard chapter to write. I tweaked the Dragon Shout a bit to include Niall's name because I figured that where there are multiple Dragons, there would have to be a way of identifying which Dragon you're talking to when you call them, otherwise you'd end up with every Dragon in hearing distance arriving on your doorstep.**

**Also I apologise for having taken so long to update, I can't seem to stop getting sick. :(**

**Anyway, please review! I always love hearing from you. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

The first thing Gwen became aware of was that there was light on the other side of her closed eyelids. The curtains must be open. Why hadn't she heard them open? Why wasn't Merlin shouting yet? The next thing she became aware of was a hand lightly shaking her shoulder and a voice whispering gently "Come on Gwen dear, it's time to awake, your breakfast is waiting."

That was very forward! Especially for a servant, not to mention it was a _woman's _voice. All of these observations could only amount to one thing in Gwen's mind. _Someone_ was filling in for Merlin and that someone wasn't George. Something had happened to Merlin!

Gwen's eyes flew open and she sat up instantly. "Hunith, I didn't know you were visiting! Where on earth is Merlin?" By some miracle, her exclamations had failed to rouse Arthur.

"Oh, don't be cross with him Gwen, darling. I had Gaius drug him. Poor boy was running himself ragged. I should expect he'll be up and about in a few hours and his reaction is bound to be comical. I thought it best that I leave waking Arthur to you." Hunith explained in a conspiratorial whisper.

"That's probably wise," Gwen agreed fighting a grin. "Though it probably won't hurt to leave him a bit longer, shall we eat?"

"Oh, yes of course." Hunith replied easily. "Whilst we're dining why don't you tell me all that's happened in Camelot since we last saw each other? I often get the distinct impression that my son sugar-coats things a bit in his letters."

Gwen couldn't help but let out a peal of laughter at this unique request. "Hunith it would be my pleasure!"

* * *

Arthur groaned as he slowly began to return to the land of the living. To say he was slightly alarmed when he reached out to Gwen's side of the bed only to encounter the other half of the mattress was quite the understatement. However, before he could resort to a full scale panic attack, he had the good fortune to hear her delightful laughter coming from the direction of where they normally breakfasted.

Curious, who was she laughing at and why was she eating breakfast without him? How was that fair? It suddenly entered his head that this could be Merlin's idea of a joke. Wake Gwen, help her eat all of the food and then force him to go hungry until lunch, making snide comments about his figure if he complained. He was not FAT! It _was_ the sought of thing Gwen would go along with…

Thinking of Merlin and his antics suddenly brought the previous day's events flooding back to him. His manservant turned Dragonlord had a secret he was refusing to tell Arthur regardless of the fact that he'd given his _word_ that Merlin would be granted full clemency! Why didn't Merlin trust him? What had he done to alienate his closest friend so much so that he'd throw a tantrum and flee the Citadel? It was all a dream. No, a nightmare, it was all a nightmare. It had to be!

He would ask Gwen, that's what he'd do and Gwen would have a good laugh at the ridiculousness of the images with which his subconscious had chosen to torment him. With another groan, Arthur rolled onto his back and without yet opening his eyes, sought the comfort he so desperately needed.

"Gwen?" The voices he could hear stopped immediately.

"Yes Arthur?" Gwen asked warily.

"_Please_ tell me yesterday didn't happen."

"Don't be ridiculous Arthur, _of course_ yesterday happened!"

"You _know_ what I mean."

"If you're referring to a mysterious stranger from a faraway kingdom showing up to request an audience with you and Merlin being outed as a Dragonlord and subsequently fleeing the Citadel with Gwaine hot on his heels then, yes, yesterday happened."

Arthur heaved a sigh and opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. "Why doesn't he trust me Gwen? I gave him my _word_ that no harm would come to him regardless of what he confessed to and he still lied to my face! And then when I called him out on the lie, he threw that fit and ran off! I know I'm not the best at expressing my feelings but I've always considered Merlin to be my closest friend and I thought he felt the same." Arthur whispered in a forlorn voice.

Apparently this was when Hunith decided to step in. Arthur practically flew into a sitting at the shock of hearing a voice he didn't recognise. "Oh Arthur dear, Merlin trusts you with his life! He doesn't believe he would come to any physical harm whatsoever if you were to find out his secret, he hasn't for a long time. It's your friendship that he's worried he'll lose. Merlin has never actually _told anyone_ his secret, everyone who knows has guessed. He's terrified of telling people because he's afraid they'll treat him differently, that they won't want to know him or have anything to do with him anymore. The idea that he'll be treated as something 'different' or 'other' for something that he has no control over is and has always been his greatest fear. In fact it's the very reason he had to leave Ealdor."

"Hunith" Arthur whispered, shocked both by the fact that Merlin's _mother_ was in his chambers and by what she'd said. "I had no idea."

Hunith gave him a soft smile. "Merlin's worked very hard to keep it that way, although now that you've found out that he's a Dragonlord, it's really not that hard to guess his other secret. Merlin told me when I arrived last night that Sirs Gwaine and Elyan have already put two and two together and that Sir Percival _might_ have but he can't be entirely sure because the man doesn't talk much."

Gwen giggled. "Coming from Merlin that isn't really saying much, but in the case of Sir Percival, he's quite right."

"That was one of the reasons I had Gaius drug him. I could see he was on the verge of a panic attack, and it was all to do with the reactions of the Knights. He said Gwaine didn't care, so much so that he actually found the whole thing rather exciting. It's Elyan he's worried about. He told me he couldn't really read his reaction one way or the other. Merlin's extremely good at reading people, for his own safety he's had to be, so being unable to read Elyan's reaction has shaken him."

Hunith sighed. "Why is it," she asked "that people are always afraid of what's different? Why can't people recognise my son for the kind-hearted, gentle soul that he is?"

"We will do our best to discover the truth on our own Hunith and I promise you we will not treat Merlin any differently because of it." Gwen vowed. Arthur nodded his agreement, if someone as kind and gentle as Hunith knew the truth about Merlin and still thought so highly of him, it couldn't be anything that awful. Arthur would just have to get over whatever prejudices Merlin obviously thought he had when he eventually learnt the truth (he _would_ most definitely be finding out the truth) and accept him for who he was.

"Thank-you dear, I ought to be going, Merlin will be waking soon and he will need comforting. Before I go to him, I ought to tell you that you should probably call a meeting or whatever it is you do. Merlin will want to speak to you all, he's decided he's going to go to this Isle I've been hearing so much about."

And with that, Hunith swept gracefully from the room.

* * *

**This chapter is a little shorter than the last one I think. It's just a filler to bring Hunith into the picture so she can start guilt-tripping Arthur out of his incessant moping.**

**Thank-you to everyone who is following this story, I shall endeavour to update soon.**

**As always, please review! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

"_He's decided he's going to go to this Isle I've been hearing so much about."_

Just like that Arthur's heart plummeted straight out of his chest. What was Merlin thinking! Who cared if he was a Dragonlord? It didn't make him invincible! He had no idea who these people were! What if it was all an elaborate scheme to dispose of the rightful heir to the throne of Elfrael? Did Merlin think of _that_? No, of course he didn't!

Arthur supposed that he couldn't really force the idiot not to go, no matter how much he may want to. Servants _were_ allowed to quit their jobs after all. But that didn't mean that he couldn't send some of his Knights with him…

Who was he going to get as a replacement manservant whilst Merlin was gone? Surely he wouldn't inflict _George_ on him! Not even _Mer_lin was that cruel.

Gwen chose that moment to interrupt his chaotic thoughts with a tactic no self-respecting man could help but fall prey to. She reminded him of his stomach.

"Come on Arthur, you need to have something to eat. I've saved you plenty of breakfast. There's no Round Table meeting scheduled as of this moment so you'll need to move quickly if you want to catch the Knights before they run off to perform all the things they need to get done today."

* * *

Merlin stretched is his bed, feeling more rested than he had in months. The feeling didn't last long though, for he had suddenly remembered that he'd had no intention of going to bed last night. By the time he'd gotten everything done, it had been so close to dawn that if he'd gone to sleep there was no way he'd have been able to get up in time to wake Arthur. Speaking of the time…

Merlin wrenched his eyelids open and hastily threw a glance in the direction of his window to check the angle of the sun. "Mother?" he asked, confused as to why she was sitting at his bedside. He wasn't ill. Was he? It only took him a moment to realise that that was beside the point, he was still late. "What time is it? Arthur's going to have me in the stocks for a week! I don't have a week! We're supposed to be leaving tomorrow! How did I get in here? The last thing I remember was Gaius waiting up for us and…" he trailed off trying to remember what happened next.

"You had Gaius DRUG me!" He cried attempting to sit up, only to be pushed back down by his mother.

"Merlin, you need to calm down." She said in a stern tone that Merlin knew better than to argue with.

After taking a few deep breaths he replied in an even tone, "I'm calm."

"Wonderful, then you'll be pleased to know that I went and woke Arthur myself."

"I'm not calm." Merlin replied in the same tone as before. However, despite his even tone and serene façade, on the inside he was openly panicking. What the _hell_ was she thinking? How many times had he complained in his letters about the way Arthur behaved when he was woken each morning? The effects of being woken by an apparent stranger, coupled by his own absence could only have made things worse. Immediately he began to study his mother's face for any signs of injury.

"Merlin, dear, I spent _eighteen years_ dragging you out of bed, I hardly think that King Arthur presents much of a challenge in comparison!"

Merlin stopped to consider the fact that his mother may have had a point. Before coming to Camelot, he'd been almost as difficult to rouse as Arthur. He freely admitted that. However, he self-righteously pointed out to himself that at least _he_ never threw things at people (no matter how tempting Will had made it).

"Did you take him his breakfast?" Merlin asked cautiously.

"Yes dear, I'm not as old as your Uncle Gaius you know. I stopped by the kitchens on my way and collected enough for three people since I expected that Gwen would ask me to join her."

"And did she?"

"Of course she did! Honestly Merlin, I thought I raised you better than to sully a woman's honour by calling into question her hospitality!" Hunith scolded.

Merlin, feeling thoroughly chastised could only mumble, "_Honestly_ Mother, I didn't mean it like _that_. I was just curious."

"You're always curious!"

"Arthur didn't throw anything at you, did he?" Merlin asked, quickly changing the subject as he once more scanned his mother's face for any signs of bruising.

"Of course not, he knows better than to attack a woman. Besides I didn't directly attempt to rouse him. Gwen and I sat down to breakfast and we let him come around in his own time."

"Soooo, he wasn't angry?" Merlin asked a little nervous and quite a bit wary.

"I'm not sure if 'angry' is the word I would use to describe his mood."

"How would you describe it?" Merlin asked quickly, his panic beginning to leak into his voice.

"It was more along the lines of _moping_." Hunith mused.

Merlin felt like banging his head against a wall. Moping was worse, moping was _definitely_ worse. Moping meant that Arthur was hurt that Merlin wouldn't tell him his secrets after he'd trusted Merlin with all of his. He shuddered to think how Arthur would react when he discovered just _how long_ Merlin had been keeping said secrets.

"Merlin," Hunith asked gently. "Are you sure about all of this? I mean I'm happy enough to come on this trip with you, but do you really think the people of this Isle will accept me as their Regent? I'm just a peasant woman from a small farming village who happens to have a Dragonlord for a son."

"Don't sell yourself short Mother." Merlin admonished her with a smile. "In the eyes of the Dragonlords, you ceased being a peasant the moment you and Father fell in love. When we arrive in Elfrael, you'll be greeted with all the respect owed to the mother of a king!"

"I know I can trust these people, despite what Arthur believes. However, he also does have a point in that I don't actually _know _them, at least not yet. It's better to appoint someone that I've known all my life and you're the only person that fits that description. Don't worry, we'll learn the job together and when I finally return to Camelot, you'll have an entire council stuffed full of Dragonlords to advise and assist you. Everything's going to be just fine, I promise." As Merlin finished his little speech, he flashed his mother an impish grin, knowing that it often had the power to dispel her worries, at least for a while.

"You've got quite a wise head on those shoulders, haven't you my son?"

"I like to think I learned from the best."

"You're full of flattery this morning, aren't you?" Hunith replied with a smirk.

"So it's still morning then?"

"Honestly Merlin, the sedative wasn't _that_ strong!"

"So you admit there was a sedative?"

Hunith sighed, and Merlin took it as a sign that he'd won their little argument. His suspicions were confirmed by his mother's next statement.

"I'll leave you to get dressed. I asked Arthur to call a meeting as I thought you'd want to be speaking to all your friends about the logistics of your little trip. I expect they'll be convening soon so you'd best get a move on." Hunith remarked as she rose and made for the door, shutting it firmly behind her as she exited his room.

'_Ethan'_ Merlin thought, projecting his thoughts the same way one did when speaking aloud.

'_My Lord?',_ came Ethan's swift reply.

'_There's going to be a meeting of the same council you appeared before when you arrived yesterday. Meet me there?'_

'_I'm on my way Sire.'_ Ethan confirmed, severing the mental connection.

* * *

Arthur and Gwen were nearing the doors to the council chambers when they spotted Gwaine approaching the same doors from the other direction.

Arthur had summoned George earlier that morning and sent him to inform each member of the Round Table that they were to meet at noon. He had also told the servant to arrange for lunch to be served there and that he would need him to take over Merlin's usual duties for the rest of the day as he had given Merlin the day off. When Gwen had questioned him about this uncharacteristic display of generosity towards his manservant, he had told her that he had a sneaking suspicion that Merlin was going to be somewhat unreliable today.

Catching Gwaine's eye, Arthur suddenly recollected that Hunith had told him this morning that Gwaine knew Merlin's secret. Ha! Here was his opportunity to find out what the idiot was hiding!

"Gwaine!" He exclaimed jovially as he, Gwen and the Knight in question reached the doors of the council chambers.

"Don't ask because I won't tell!" Gwaine returned with a wicked grin.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur demanded.

"You were about to ask me to spill Merlin's secret." The Knight replied with a knowing smirk.

"How did you-?"

"Oblivion works both ways Princess."

* * *

Seeing Arthur's confused look, Gwaine thought it best to clarify.

"A person who is as generally oblivious to what's going on around them as you are tends to have a face that can be read like an open book."

Gwen let out a peal of laughter at the barely concealed insult he'd just thrown Arthur's way. Gwaine flashed them both a roguish grin and slipped into the council chambers, noting as he did so that the three of them were all at least an hour early. Oh well he thought, at least he wasn't late!

Say, was that Merlin and Ethan he spied, already seated? Merlin should have told him sooner that he was into staring contests! He was sure he could give the Warlock a run for his money…

* * *

**Sooo what did you all think? Surprised at Merlin's choice of Regent?**

**I've decided that now would be a good time to let you all know that I won't be updating again before Easter. Being Catholic, I've decided to give up Fanfiction for Lent, which starts on Wednesday. But fear not! This story shall continue after Easter.**

**As always, I love getting feedback, so please leave a review! :)**

**P.S. Thanks to all the people that PM'd me to let me know that this didn't upload properly, hopefully it's working now.**


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to the never-ending fussing of Gaius and Hunith, Ethan had managed to beat Merlin (and everyone else for that matter) to the council chambers and was already seated when he arrived.

Upon seeing Merlin enter, Ethan hastily got to his feet and bowed low to Merlin, much to Merlin's annoyance.

_Honestly Ethan_, he thought as he sat opposite the young man, _there is absolutely no need for all this bowing!_

'_My Lord, I humbly beg to differ, you are a King. Bowing is merely a part of what is due to someone of your station.'_ Ethan returned telepathically as he sat back down, causing Merlin to jump out of his skin. He hadn't realised that he'd been projecting his thoughts. However, Ethan's reply left no room for doubt on that particular issue.

With a small smile, Merlin sat as well, continuing their little game. _'It would seem there is a fine line between thinking and speaking, at least the sort of speaking that involves using the mind. As for bowing, yesterday morning I was a servant! So forgive me if the entire practice seems somewhat ridiculous when directed at me._

Ethan let out a soft chuckle. _'Well I suggest you find some way to make peace with your qualms for I am not the only one of your subjects that tends to stand on ceremony. Besides, you've never been __**just**__ a servant.'_

'_Actually the whole 'Arthur's servant' thing was a bit of an accident. Uther happened to be watching when I pulled Arthur out of the way of a dagger and decided that a suitable __**reward**__ would be to make me Arthur's servant.'_

'_My, my how __**generous**__ of him!'_ Ethan exclaimed amidst bursts of raucous laughter. Merlin couldn't help but marvel at the ability the two of them had to speak and laugh at the same time.

'_Yes it's a good thing nobody's noticed the countless times I've saved their backsides since then, I shudder to think what other chores I may have been __**rewarded**__ with!'_

'_A toast to Pendragon charity, long may it prevail!'_

'_To Pendragon charity!'_ Merlin returned enthusiastically, curving the fingers of his right hand to mime holding a tankard and raising it in an imaginary toast.

Grinning, Ethan returned the gesture and they _clunked_ their _tankards_ together before both leaning back to take a long drawn-out _sip_, simultaneously letting out a satisfied sigh as they did so.

'_So'_ Merlin began, now that that avenue of conversation had been exhausted, _Aeris arrives at noon tomorrow?'_

'_That's the plan'_ Ethan returned nonchalantly, shrugging as he did so.

Merlin simply nodded, a faraway look in his eyes, as he imagined the events that would be set in motion at noon the next day. Out of nowhere, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

'_Do Dragons wear saddles? I've never travelled great distances on Kilgarrah's back. Well the distance was great but it never took very long to get there. _At this point Merlin felt the need to return Ethan's amused look (presumably brought about by his rambling) with a withering glare of his own.

'_You get the idea! Anyway, my __**point**__ is that whilst I've never spent particularly long on Kilgarrah's back, I have noticed his scales are quite a bit harder than a horse's hide and saddles are __**definitely**__ necessary when spending an entire day on horseback, so am I going to have to come up with an enchantment to numb our backsides __**or**__ do Dragons wear saddles? Somehow I can't see Kilgarrah going for the idea. He already thinks I treat him like a horse!'_

Ethan grinned outright at this and with a sparkle in his eye began to answer Merlin's plethora of questions concerning Dragons and saddles.

'_No Dragon I have ever met has enjoyed the indignity of wearing a saddle. However, they do recognise the necessity of such measures in certain circumstances, such as aerial battles or flying from Albion to Elfrael.'_

'_So Niall wore saddle on your journey here? Why did I not see it when I met him?'_ Merlin asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

'_Out of respect I remove the saddle along with any baggage whenever possible. At the moment it's all been stashed in the Darkling Woods and I've placed a whole lot of enchantments around the immediate vicinity to deter trespassers.'_

Merlin nodded thoughtfully at this. _'Fair enough, at least I won't have to listen to Kilgarrah harping on about saddles. Not seeing as his only passenger will be Aithusa!'_

Ethan allowed himself a small shudder at this. _'Yes, in hindsight, I'm rather glad he volunteered himself for that role.'_

'_Perhaps the image of a saddle had already entered his mind's eye.' _Merlin chuckled.

Ethan's laughing fit was so severe that he was quite unable to say anything, as Merlin noted with some exasperation that the laughter was telepathic as well as physical.

A loud bang caused Merlin to jump a foot in his seat. _'What the bloody hell was that?'_ Snapping his head to the left to discover the source of the noise he let out an undignified yelp and gasped "_Arthur!_" For there was Arthur seated in his usual seat, looking far from tranquil.

'_When did Arthur come in? I didn't even see him come in, did you?'_

Ethan's tone was both shaken and penitent. _'No My Lord I did not and for that I cry your pardon, I should have been paying better attention.'_

If Merlin heard Ethan's reply, he gave no indication of it. He was too busy glancing around the table, taking in the fact that every single Round Table member as well as his mother (who was seated on his left) were already present and seated. To top it off, lunch had also been served. How could he not have noticed any of this? Why did Arthur look so angry? What made that loud noise? By the gods Morgana herself could have come in here and taken Camelot and he wouldn't have so much as _noticed_! And to think he had the gall to call Arthur unobservant!

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Merlin was aware that he was having a full blown panic attack, complete with hyperventilation. But he couldn't focus on that right now. To be perfectly honest, he couldn't focus on anything at all. His gaze was still moving erratically around the room and he was no longer entirely aware of its occupants, let alone what they were now saying or doing. A fine state to be in should Camelot prove to be under attack he thought in self-disgust. Arthur truly was completely justified in calling him a girl!

In his panicked state Merlin slowly began to register his mother's voice. "Hush child, all is well. Be still my son for the lion sleeps soundly in his den."

Merlin smiled at his mother's use of their code phrases. To anyone else, what she'd said would sound nonsensical. To Merlin it was anything but, for she had effectively just told him that no one (no one being mainly Arthur Prat-Dragon) in the room suspected his magic and more importantly that there was no immediate threat to anyone's safety.

He smiled as he visibly relaxed and replied with "the fox is vigilant in his stealth. He eludes even the dragons themselves." He turned to his mother and smiled at her. "I'm alright Mother, honestly, Arthur just gave me a bit of a fright, that's all."

"It was Arthur that caused that loud bang, wasn't it?" He asked, suddenly worried that his mother may have underestimated any potential threats that he'd failed to notice.

* * *

**So I'm back. Not to sure about this chapter, but I hope that it lives up to everyone's expectations. As always, please review! I love hearing from you.**


	15. Chapter 15

Walking into the council chambers with Gwen, Arthur couldn't help but feel somewhat slighted. Gwaine had practically called him an idiot _to his face_ and Gwen had laughed. Laughed! Did that mean she thought he was an idiot too?

That train of thought ended abruptly when he noticed Merlin seated opposite Ethan, having a _staring_ contest of all things. He barely registered himself pulling Gwen's chair out for her as she seated herself, so great was the rage that had suddenly taken up residence in his mind. Hell, he'd tried to be understanding towards Merlin yesterday. He'd offered the man clemency. Behaved like a gentlemen following Merlin's tantrum and abrupt departure. He'd promised Hunith that he wouldn't think any differently of her son when he eventually found out his secret, even promised not to push for said secret! All the while, trying not to feel too slighted by the fact that his friend, _no servant,_ had passed him over for a Merlin-sized elf!

How could Merlin be so flippant about all of this? Didn't he realise how upsetting it was for Arthur to have his whole world turned upside down with Merlin right at the centre of the ruckus? Not to mention, instead of receiving an explanation for all the turmoil, Arthur had to abuse his authority as King to drag half-truths out of his servant before he eventually pushed too far and his servant ran off into a bandit-infested forest, _without a sword_. Sometimes he was left wondering if the idiot had a death-wish. On second thought, he decided he really didn't want the answer to that, for he had an awful feeling that he already knew what it was.

Arthur was abruptly dragged out of his self-pity when Merlin and Ethan burst into a simultaneous laughing fit. Not only did Arthur feel that this was in particularly poor taste, but upon glancing up he happened to notice that Merlin and Ethan were _still_ having their staring contest (_while_ they were laughing, if you could believe it).

Leon, Ethan and Percival arrived at the very moment that Merlin and his new confidant decided to mime a toast. Gwaine lost no time in making eye contact with everyone present to silently indicate that they should refrain from disturbing the pair. Evidently he was finding the situation infinitely more amusing than Arthur was.

As the laughter died off, Arthur began to realise that it wasn't so much a staring contest as it was a _conversation without words_. Surely that was impossible? If one were to attempt a conversation without words, how on earth was one supposed to know what it was that the other was saying? But when he focused his attention on Merlin, he found that there really was no other way to describe it.

For instance, the glare that Merlin was currently directing at Ethan was one that Arthur often received when he chose to deride Merlin over his tendency to ramble. In fact, if Arthur were to judge from Merlin's body language alone, he would have to say that rambling was _exactly_ what Merlin was doing at the moment. But rambling about what?

There was certainly no denying it as Merlin was at that moment, leant forward with bright eyes, gesticulating wildly with his hands… and yet… he spoke not one word. It was beyond infuriating! Even more infuriating was the fact that Ethan seemed to understand him perfectly, despite having known him barely two days. Arthur had known his manservant for years! He sighed, trying to identify the emotion he was now feeling. He didn't want to say… it wasn't jealousy... but yes, that's exactly what it was.

Arthur was once more pulled from his reverie by the arrival of Gaius and Hunith, who came bearing the apologies of Geoffrey of Monmouth, the man having professed himself unable to attend. At last Arthur thought, Hunith would put an end to this nonsense. For Arthur was certain, that if neither Hunith nor Gaius could curb Merlin's latest eccentricities, no one could.

However, to Arthur's complete and utter consternation, Gaius' only reaction to Gwaine's ridiculous hand gestures was to raise an eyebrow as he took his seat. Hunith for her part simply offered Gwaine a small smile and glanced fondly at her son before taking her seat beside Merlin.

Was Arthur really the only one present that found this silent conversation even the slightest bit unsettling?

He continued to glower resentfully at Ethan, mentally blaming him for anything and everything until a team of servants arrived with lunch. Arthur directed them to proceed to set it out, occasionally correcting them on the placement of a dish here and dismissing another as inedible there, making absolutely no attempt to keep his voice down, earning him many a murderous glare from Gwaine who was _still_ enjoying Merlin's unwitting entertainment.

Arthur lasted nearly five minutes before the delicious aroma of the food affected his growling stomach to the point where he could wait on Merlin's pleasure no longer. Slamming his palm down on the table's surface he watched in perverse satisfaction as Merlin jumped a foot in the air and snapped his head toward the source of the noise. There, that got his attention! Perhaps now they could eat.

Of course this _would_ be the moment Merlin chose to have a full-blown panic attack…Gwaine was never going to let him hear the end of this.

It began with a yelp from Merlin and a rather undignified cry of _"Arthur!"_ which Arthur had to admit did sound somewhat terrified. It was there that Merlin's verbal panic ended and the gasping began. Though he would never admit it there were points when Arthur honestly thought the boy could no longer breathe. In hindsight, his mind would probably register how terrifying it had been to watch.

However, in the heat of the moment, all Arthur could think of was what a _girl's petticoat_ Merlin was. Honestly how _could_ someone be _so_ terrified _so_ often? Once more observing Merlin, Arthur realised that in addition to hyperventilation, Merlin's eyes were now locked on Ethan who looked equally as spooked and was slowly shaking his head in response to yet another unspoken question. Unbelievable! After all the effort Arthur had just gone to to get the attention of the pair, they'd decided to continue this little game of theirs.

But no, on second thoughts, it looked as though the conversation had ended. Ethan's eyes were now slowly and carefully scanning the room with the very look seen in the eye of an expert knight searching for any sign of danger or threats. The boy was as bad as _Mer_lin! All he'd done was hit the table and now the foreign diplomat was searching for signs of an attack! Were all Dragonlords prone to these sorts of overreactions?

Almost as if seeking to answer Arthur's unspoken question in the affirmative, Merlin's head had begun moving at the speed of an arrow, his gaze settling on each face in the room for a mere moment before moving on to the next. His expression was one of such terror that it chilled Arthur to the bone. So much so, that he couldn't help but be reminded of the Dorocha, and it would seem that Merlin was _still_ hyperventilating. For the love of Camelot! _All_ he'd done was hit the table.

Gwaine's eyes Arthur noted had not moved from Merlin from the moment that Arthur had hit the table. From what Arthur could gather from his expression, it would seem that he desperately wanted to help Merlin but was unsure of how to do so without startling him further. To be honest, Merlin already looked like a frightened animal that had suddenly found itself trapped and at the mercy of its hunters. Arthur was a skilled tracker and had seen that look often enough, although he had to admit that nowadays he did not see it nearly as often as he had _before_ Merlin had become his servant. Even so, he could see why Gwaine was reluctant to make a move. It was probably best to let Hunith handle this sort of emotional trauma anyway.

For the duration of the time that Arthur had been observing the panicked duo, Hunith had been attempting to soothe Merlin by constantly murmuring comforting words in Merlin's ear. It had taken some time, but it finally seemed to be having some effect. Merlin's head had stilled and his gaze was now fixed on the table, his breathing was gradually becoming more even and he appeared to be nodding at whatever Hunith was telling him.

Arthur listened harder and was able to catch her final phrases. "Hush child, all is well. Be still my son for the lion sleeps soundly in his den." Well of course _that_ would make sense to _Mer_lin!

It was a good thing she'd said it though for it had caused Merlin to relax completely, even to _smile_. He turned to face his mother as he replied with "the fox is vigilant in his stealth. He eludes even the dragons themselves. I'm alright Mother. Honestly, Arthur just gave me a bit of a fright, that's all."

"A _bit_ of a fright?" Arthur questioned incredulously. "_Mer_lin, I've never seen you so terrified and that's saying something! Not to mention, Ethan looked ready to go on the attack! What were you two expecting, for the lunch that the servants brought to attempt mutiny? Did you think that the roast chickens were going to rise up and pelt you with carrots? Honestly _Mer_lin, you are _such_ a girl's petticoat! Besides, what was all that about foxes and dragons? Has all that polish gone and addled your brains?"

"Are you done?" Merlin snapped. "I had every right to be frightened! I shifted my gaze from Ethan expecting to find an empty room, yet not only do I find you lot all seated, but lunch has been served as well! Can't you see how that would unnerve me just a little bit?"

"Merlin, I cannot help it if you insist on being exceptionally unobservant."

"But that's just it Arthur, I'm _not_ normally unobservant. No that's always you. You keep asking me what my big secret is and yet everyone who knows discovered it for themselves. You've had more opportunities to catch me out than everyone else in this room combined!" he shouted breathing heavily. "Well except maybe Gaius and Mother" he added as an afterthought.

"But the point is that at times I've had no choice but to be so _obvious_ that I thought that you must surely know and were simply pretending you didn't in order to avoid confronting the elephant in the room. Something for which I was, or should I say,_ would have_, been eternally grateful."

Arthur could not remember the last time he had been so thoroughly chastised. Or perhaps it just felt that way given that this time Merlin's words stung even more than usual. Merlin was so unfailingly observant all the time that when he'd realised something had escaped his notice, he'd had a panic attack of such immense proportions that only his _mother_ had been able to pull him out of it.

And yet, according to Merlin, Arthur noticed so little. So much so, that he should apparently have discovered Merlin's secret (whatever it was) years ago simply by _taking notice of his surroundings_. It stung that Merlin thought him to be so blind, but his anger at the slight was entirely internal for he could not help but agree that Merlin was _right_. He had been all but wilfully blind to the treachery of both Morgana and Agravaine until it was too late and yet he was certain that Merlin was aware of _both_ betrayals long before Arthur had lost his kingdom over either. But Merlin had been unable to come forward because he _knew_ he would not be believed. He recalled that he had even threatened Merlin with banishment the one time he had insinuated that Agravaine was not all that he appeared.

He sighed. "You are right Merlin." He conceded wearily.

"I am?" came the boy's shocked reply.

"My blindness has almost cost me my Kingdom twice over, and yet both times you have been there to help me reclaim it, even when I lacked the belief that we could. But you still haven't explained all this nonsense about lions, foxes and dragons."

Merlin just snorted. "It's not a secret code if I tell you what it _means_, _Ar_thur."

Well now they were getting somewhere. "What need have you of a secret code, _Mer_lin?"

It was then that Hunith decided to intervene. "I'm sure it has not escaped your attention Arthur, that circumstances forced me to raise Merlin without a man to defend our home. Such precautions are necessary when I find myself to be my family's first line of defense, I beg of you not to take something like that away from us."

Arthur bowed his head in acquiescence. "I was out of line Hunith, and for that I cry your pardon."

"It is already forgotten." She replied graciously. "Might I suggest we eat our lunch now? That _was_ your original motive for attacking the table, was it not?"

Face bright red, it was all Arthur could do to nod his head in agreement as laughter, entirely at his expense, sounded from around the table. None of which was louder than Merlin's.

* * *

**And there is Arthur's response to Merlin's panic attack. It would seem my procrastination has worked in your favour. Although, I wouldn't expect anything else before the end of June because I really _should_ study.**

**Please review! **


	16. Chapter 16

Gwaine sighed contentedly and leant back in his chair. There was something immensely satisfying about having a full stomach. Glancing around the room he noted that everyone else also seemed to have eaten their fill and were feeling much the same as he was. The sudden mental image of Arthur's reaction if everyone were to fall asleep before one single item of business had been discussed left him struggling to keep his countenance. Well, he could certainly think of one way to prevent such a catastrophe…

Gleefully, he slammed his palm down onto the table surface and watched everyone's reactions with rapt attention (and more than a little laughter). Merlin's reaction was by far the funniest. There was no surprised yelp this time, he didn't even jump. He simply turned to face Gwaine, and complete with the Gaius eyebrow asked in a bored tone "Is there something we can help you with, _Sir Gwaine_?"

"Sorry Merlin, I couldn't resist, the opportunity was just _too_ good!"

That served to break the ice quite nicely as Merlin was suddenly laughing so hard he was gasping for air. Arthur, apparently having only just realised that the joke was on him, cleared his throat in such a way that Gwaine had learned meant he fully expected to be obeyed, immediately and without hesitation. Although the sound hadn't been very loud, somehow the entire room had not only heard him but had fallen silent at once.

One day, Gwaine thought, _one day_, he was going to learn how to do that.

Once Arthur had managed to summon the servants, lunch was cleared away seemingly in the blink of an eye. The moment the door had closed behind the last of the servants Arthur turned to Merlin and asked in his most condescending tone, "So, _Mer_lin, would you care to explain to me why my _manservant_ has begun calling round table meetings?"

Merlin, matching Arthur's condescension with equal amounts of apathy simply replied, "I'm leaving, indefinitely, for Elfrael. I am to set out shortly after noon tomorrow with Ethan and Mother. I thought it best that you all hear it from me."

"That's _it_?" Arthur's tone was beyond incredulous.

"Yes." The sheer confusion in Merlin's voice made it sound like a question.

"And who, pray tell, is going to serve me whilst you're gone?"

"George." Merlin's tone added the 'of course'.

"You and I will talk about _George_ later-" Gwaine choked into his drink, the King's distaste for 'bootlicking' servants was legendary. Curiously enough (although this was all hearsay as Gwaine had not been in Camelot early enough to witness it) this interesting little aversion had only developed _after_ Merlin had been _gifted_ his _prestigious_ position.

"-however at this present point in time", the King continued, "We have more pressing matters to discuss. Surely you don't _honestly_ think I'm going to let you go _alone_?" He asked in a dangerously low voice.

Merlin simply stared at Arthur for a moment before incredulously asking "How is being accompanied by two people and four dragons classed as _travelling alone_?"

Gwaine was inclined to side with Merlin on that one. What the hell was Arthur playing at?

"_F-Four_ dragons? I thought you said you spared the _last_ dragon! That would imply that there was _one _Dragon, would it not?" Arthur spluttered. Hmm, yes, Merlin probably could have left out the bit about the dragons.

Merlin heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes before asking, "How do you suppose Ethan got here?"

"Alright so that's two dragons", Arthur conceded, "where did the other two come from?"

"Niall can only carry two people. Since there are three of us and Kilgarrah is otherwise engaged, we had to send for Aeris, she is due to arrive at noon tomorrow."

"Otherwise engaged?" Arthur repeated; his expression one of utter disbelief. "Aren't you a Dragonlord? Surely you could just order him to take you." Oh dear, Merlin was most definitely not going to appreciate _that_, Gwaine thought as he waited with baited breath for the warlock's reaction.

True to Gwaine's prediction, Merlin's face went as cold as stone and there was fire in his eyes as he spoke. "I _refuse_ to rob someone of their free will. Not unless I have absolutely _no other choice_. If you must know _My Lord_ the reason why Kilgarrah is unable to bear the third person of our party is because he must remain unburdened in the event that Aithusa requires his assistance. _She_ is the fourth dragon with us and is far too young to be making such a journey unaided."

Arthur looked absolutely terrified by the end of Merlin's little speech. Gwaine couldn't blame him, Merlin's temper had been something to behold and he hoped never to be on the receiving end of the normally-placid man's wrath. Percival chose that moment to take advantage of Arthur's momentary speechlessness to ask a question of his own.

"Merlin, if you don't mind my asking, how did Aithusa make the journey to Albion if she is too young to travel unaided?"

Shoot, the answer to that could very well be the proverbial straw that broke the Camel's back from Arthur's point of view. Gwaine quickly caught Percival's eye and made the hand gesture to signal an abort. It was the hand signal that Knights leading patrols used to inform the men under their command that 'the odds are too great, get the hell out of there as quickly and quietly as possible, preferably _before _the enemy sees you.'

Spotting Gwaine's hand signal and Merlin's uncomfortable expression, Percival hurriedly added "you don't have to answer if you don't want to, Merlin. It was just a question, not an order, honestly, I didn't mean to pry." It seemed that Percival also feared Merlin's temper, smart man.

Unfortunately, one glance at Arthur's face told Gwaine that the damage was already done.

"Percival may not require an answer to his question Merlin, but I do", Arthur's voice was stern and brooked no argument, "All of this secrecy is wearing on my patience. I have granted you full clemency for anything that you confess to in this room and I meant what I said Merlin, _anything_."

Arthur's voice began to take on a pleading note in his desperation. "I don't know when I lost your trust, nor do I know what I did to lose it. Perhaps I never had it in the first place but _I am_ trying my hardest to earn it back. So please Merlin, I am _begging_ you to give me a chance."

It saddened Gwaine to see that the first thing Merlin did was look to his mother. A lifetime of fearing for his life had left him capable of truly trusting only one person unconditionally. It angered him beyond words that Uther's vendetta had rendered Merlin so damaged. The things he wished he could do to that sorry excuse for a king, if only the swine were still alive.

Hunith for her part was speaking to Merlin in hushed tones, although whatever it was she was saying was doing little to alleviate the panicked expression on Merlin's face. He looked exactly like a deer cornered by a hunter. Eventually he sighed and nodded, turning to face Arthur sizing him up as though he were a potential threat.

"Alright Arthur, you win. I'll answer the question about Aithusa. But first there is something you must understand." Here he paused expectantly.

"Go on." Arthur encouraged.

"Aithusa is like a sister to me and I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, _whatever it takes_."

Arthur took a moment to massage his forehead with his fingers before returning his gaze to Merlin. "So long as she doesn't attack anyone in my kingdom Merlin, I don't see any reason why it should come to that."

Gwaine was suitably impressed, Arthur the diplomat, who knew?

Merlin judging by his next remark was also satisfied with Arthur's response.

"Aithusa's never been to Elfrael." He stated bluntly, clearly enjoying everybody's gobsmacked expressions. "I hatched her in a clearing not far from here, a little over eight moons ago. Only a Dragonlord can call a Dragon forth from the egg." He continued, effectively answering everyone's unspoken questions.

"But eight moons ago we were tracking…" Everyone's questions except Leon's, apparently.

"Julius Borden." Arthur finished. "You didn't happen to have anything to do with the theft that took place in my vaults, did you _Mer_lin?"

"Full clemency, remember?"

"_Mer_lin"

Merlin sighed heavily. "There's no such thing as woodworm _Ar_thur."

"You stole the keys to the vaults." It wasn't a question.

"I prefer the word 'borrowed', stealing implies that I didn't give them back."

As funny as it all was to watch, Gwaine was quickly running out of mead _erm_ patience. "I realise this argument is of vital importance to the two of you but our time _is_ somewhat limited. To cut a long story short, here's what I've pieced together. Borden put us all to sleep. Merlin alone was spared from this particular malady and used the time it bought him to retrieve the egg before we all awoke. He hatched the egg when he returned to Camelot and the rest is history. Now can we talk about the reason we actually gathered here."

Merlin frowned. "There isn't much else to say. I've already notified the relevant servants about my impending absence and I'm perfectly capable of packing my own provisions for the trip."

"There's something you're forgetting _Mer_lin." Arthur's voice cut through Merlin's verbal musings like a knife.

"There is?"

"I know nothing about this Isle and as your King I refuse to let you travel into unchartered territory unprotected."

"Ethan, you know how to fight, right?"

"Absolutely Sire." Ethan replied with a grin.

"_MER_LIN! He's from there!" Arthur roared; his face red with frustration.

Merlin let out an exasperated sigh. "What exactly do you want me to do Arthur?"

"Take at least two knights with you." Arthur demanded.

"Even if you _had_ a knight capable of going up against a sorcerer, there is _no one_ in this room, besides the three people already going, crazy enough to volunteer to ride a Dragon!"

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong Merlin." Gwaine interjected, flicking his hair.

Merlin stared at him in confusion. "You can fight sorcerers?" he asked sceptically.

"Course not, but I'd follow you anywhere mate you already know that."

Merlin's subsequent frown was beyond comical. "You _would_?"

Gwaine sighed, preparing to drop another hint.

"The Perilous Lands" At this Merlin flashed his trademark grin, having finally understood and replied just as he had then, "I'd do the same for you."

"Wait, what happened in the Perilous Lands?" Elyan asked confused.

Merlin's eyes flashed to Arthur's face and away before he responded in a guarded tone "We're not at liberty to say."

"_I_ didn't promise anything of the sort!" Gwaine exclaimed with a wicked grin.

"Don't even think about it!" Arthur snapped.

"What harm could it do?" Merlin asked, ever the voice of reason. "You're _already_ the King."

Leon's eyes widened in realisation as he groaned, "Merlin _please_ tell me you _didn't_ follow Arthur on his quest to retrieve the trident."

"He would have died if I didn't."

"You cannot possibly have known that for certain."

"Except that I did. When he was setting out, I saw a bracelet on his wrist that would have killed him had he worn it long enough. He caught me looking and told me _Morgana_ had given it to him. The fact that it came from her was in and of itself bad news. The moment I realised what the bracelet was actually for I fled Camelot like an arrow from a bow, enlisted Gwaine's help along the way and proceeded to save the day."

"Morgana was against us, even then?" Arthur asked in a shaky voice, no longer able to feel any anger about the true circumstances of his quest coming to light.

"She was lost to us the very moment Morgause took her", was Merlin's aggrieved reply.

"And you knew, all that time where her loyalties lay?"

"It became rather obvious, soon after her 'rescue'" Merlin returned bitterly. "Subtlety has never been her strong point. But enough of that, beating yourself up about the past will do you no good Arthur. Gwaine has volunteered to come with me, will that satisfy you?"

"If nothing else, it will satisfy Lord Edgar." Ethan murmured.

"Say that again?" Gwaine asked sharply. Did he say Lord Edgar? If he did then there must be some mistake, either that or there's been more than one Lord Edgar. Gwaine was quite certain his uncle was dead.

"Why? Have you got ale in your ears?" was Merlin's unthinking response.

Now wait just a minute, he'd heard that phrase before, but where? It certainly wasn't a common figure of speech. Gwaine's eyes widened in disbelief as it came to him. It was that old sorcerer, accused of killing Uther that had thrown him halfway across a clearing and used the others as stairs to get on his horse.

"Oh Merlin you didn't. Tell me you didn't." Gwaine replied, the challenge clear both in his eyes and in his tone.

"Didn't what?" Merlin's face was the very picture of innocence.

"I am of course referring to the last time somebody asked me if I had ale in my ears." Gwaine clarified meaningfully.

It was quite entertaining to watch realisation dawn on poor Merlin's face. The warlock gaped at his friend for a moment before shifting uncomfortably in his seat and replying with a very unconvincing "I'm quite certain I have no idea what you're talking about."

That's when it must have clicked for Elyan because he gasped "No!"

"Yes!" Was Gwaine's pointed response, whilst Merlin was quick to jump in with a somewhat panicked "Not a word, either of you!"

The grin that Elyan then turned on Merlin was positively wicked. "What you did wasn't very _nice_ Merlin, I hope you realise we're going to have to get you back."

"I absolutely second that." Gwaine added.

Merlin looked, for all the world as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "_You two_ want to start a prank war with _me_?" He asked incredulously. Gwaine had to concede that Merlin made a very valid point. Going up against a warlock in a prank war was somewhat dense, although, it certainly wouldn't stop him from trying.

On seeing Elyan's nod of affirmation, Merlin exclaimed, "Well! Two against one is hardly fair. Ethan, I trust I can count on your help?"

"Just try and keep me out of it Sire!"

Gwaine gulped. Two accomplished sorcerers against himself and Elyan, this was going to be harder than he thought. His consideration of Ethan's abilities suddenly brought his Uncle Edgar to the forefront of his mind.

"Ethan, the Lord Edgar you mentioned before, he wouldn't by any chance be Lord Edgar of the House of Ingetti, formerly residing in Caerleon?"

"The very same", Ethan replied in a neutral tone.

The stress of the situation was causing Gwaine to have a little trouble breathing. "That's impossible!" He snapped. "Lord Edgar died when I was just a child! His funeral was held at the same time as the Lady Gallia's, I remember because it was the first one I'd been to where there were no-"

"Bodies" Ethan finished calmly. The look he was sending Gwaine was full of sympathy and pity.

Thinking back on it Gwaine realised that he'd lost his Uncle and older sister only a few months before Uther's blind prejudice spread to Caerleon and the Purge began there in earnest. He had been told as a child of only four summers, that his sister had been taken by slavers when she was out playing in the forest and his uncle had been slain by bandits shortly before the search was called off and his sister declared dead.

He was supposed to be with her that day, but he'd turned her down in favour of playing 'Knights' with some of his other friends and so she'd gone off alone. He'd never forgiven himself for it, despite knowing that logically at that age he would have stood even less chance of fighting off slavers than his sister had done. It was one of the reasons he drank.

"Lord Edgar fled because he has magic?" He asked Ethan.

"Yes, though it was a little more serious than that." Ethan replied gently. "Lord Edgar is a Dragonlord."

"WHAT! How did I not notice _that_? Closest thing I ever saw to a dragon before last night was wyverns."

"I don't pretend to know his mind, but I would think it likely that Lord Edgar would be of the opinion that seeing a dragon at such a young age would have scared you silly."

"Fair point", Gwaine conceded before swallowing thickly and gathering the courage to ask, "and what of the Lady Gallia? Is she alive? Is she safe?"

"Perfectly safe, in fact, she's married, with three daughters of her own."

* * *

**Dun dun dun! This chapter is a bit longer for you all since I made you wait forever. Sorry! Anyway, hope you like it, please review!**


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